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In her silent world, Jami Go shines through


Jemima Ming Go is one of the proud graduates of the University of the Philippines Diliman Batch 2010. A member of the Philippine Figure Skating and Ice Hockey Team, an awardee of the Support Fund for Young Artists thesis grant, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Visual Communications, Jami is outstanding. Even more outstanding is this: Jami is deaf. Born at 4 pounds and 10 ounces, Jami's parents thought the reason for her delayed language development was her low birth weight. At 15 months, Jami was indifferent to the New Year's celebrations. It was her lolo who noticed that she did not cling to him when firecrackers were set off. The next day, three doctors confirmed that she was deaf.

Silent achiever. Jami's thesis "Deaf Can! An Awareness Campaign in Deaf Empowerment" aims to bridge the gap between her world and the hearing world.
Jami was brought to the United States for auditory language training, but only for a couple of months. Back home, she was enrolled in the family-owned Piagetian School of Learning where she would first dabble in art. Later, she was enrolled at the Brent International School, but after two years, she was transferred to the Southeast Asian Institute for the Deaf (SAID) at Maryknoll, now Miriam College. "Sabi nila (Brent) 'di na nila kaya yung case. She needed more intensive training," her mother told GMANews.Tv in an interview at the Piagetian School in Quezon City. At the time, mainstreaming the deaf was a new theory with not much local support. At SAID, Jami's precociousness was detected, and her math lessons were taken together with Miriam's regular program until fourth year high school. Jami's mother laughed at how Jami would have to switch between two uniforms. "Ngayon, parehas na ang uniform ng SAID at Miriam. Pero 'di na niya naabutan yun," she said. As early as three years old, Jami would attend summer art lessons with Teacher Rita Badilla-Gudiño at the QC Sports Club. Jami would create visual aids for the Piagetian School, which her mother would sometimes sell.
Jami's favorite plate. "I like it because the colors are different," she signs.
Jami was also inclined towards sports. At around four years old, she would do gymnastics. However, her mom pulled her out of the program. "Natatakot ako kasi masyadong daring," she said with a worried look on her face, even though it has been more than a decade since. She went into other sports - swimming, tennis, and volleyball. At fifteen, she took an interest in ice skating and ice hockey. "Mahirap lang (sa ice skating), kasi nakaprogram sa mind niya yung steps and length of the song. Kailangan sabay ang start and stop sa music," explained Jami's mom. It seems her lack of hearing gives her an extra-keen eye for detail, and an amazing amount of focus. Her drawings often have wrinkles which, she explains through her sister Geddy, are what she likes best about drawing. Fine arts student After graduating from high school, she enrolled in an accountancy course, but when she found out that UP had a talent test for the Fine Arts program, Jami followed her heart. At first, the school was hesitant to admit her into the program, but then-Department Head Mitzi Aguilar Reyes fought for Jami's admission. In the end, she became part of UPFA Class of 2010 - the last batch unaffected by the controversial 300 per cent tuition fee increase. In a letter to UP Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, Prof. Reyes wrote, "Some faculty members were apprehensive to admit Jami because we were not prepared to address this particular need. But my personal philosophy is that we should go out of our comfort zone if we want to help." At first, like any other freshman, Jami had difficulty adjusting to the heavy load. Fifteen units of academics, including majors which required hours and hours of beating deadlines for plates, made Jami nervous.
Jami's plates. This is one of her plates for her Visual Perception class. Each box took 5-6 hours.
Determined, and with the help of an interpreter during her first two years, she made it through and graduated with honors, too. Even better, Jami was able to teach sign language to some of her classmates. Like others in her generation, Jami likes to watch DVDs of Prison Break, One Tree Hill, and Grey's Anatomy. She also spends copious amounts of time chatting with friends online, her mother says in a tone typical of mothers whose children are always in front of their computers. Jami's mom has nothing to worry about, it seems. Jami has a good head on her shoulders, despite her lack of hearing. Perhaps this is even what makes her excel. For her thesis, Jami interviewed several deaf individuals from the College of Saint Benilde and Miriam. Ninety per cent of her interviewees said given the chance to choose, they would still want be deaf.
Jami's cheerleaders. All smiles, Jami sits between her mom and sister at the Piagetian Guided Educational Center.
Jami has no plans of stopping. Right after the interview, she had an appointment with the LTO to get her student license permit, and next week, she starts her driving lessons. She plans to get a Certificate in Web Design and Multimedia Specialist from top information and communication technologies school Cosmopoint International Institute of Technology, and is preparing her portfolio to go job-hunting. At the UP commencement exercises, Chancellor Cao quoted Jami's writeup in her thesis, which described her as "part of the deaf community and aims to connect deaf individuals to the hearing world through their skills and talents so that better understanding and acceptance will be achieved!" He ended his speech with a question: "As you leave the four walls of UP today, armed with your degrees and diplomas, reflect on this: Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone to help others? What noble cause will you take on?" As for Jami, her success has paved the way for another hearing-impaired student. A year after her admission, the Department of Studio Arts admitted Mr. Rommel Agravante, a deaf painter, into its program. - YA, GMANews.TV
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