My name is Lorne Farovitch. I was born in Vancouver B.C., Canada and grew up in Arizona. My wonderful deaf parents raised me along with two hearing siblings. I went to Arizona Schools for the Deaf and Blind because my parents wanted me to have full access to learning through American Sign Language. After graduating from high school, I went to Gallaudet University and graduated with two degrees in Biology and Chemistry. I am fascinated with science. Science has many different and interesting areas that I was not sure about until I saw the Rochester Bridges to Doctorate Program. The Bridges Program is perfect for me because it helps me narrow down to an area of science that I am most interested in. Currently, I am a graduate student in environmental science and am interested in doing research on the survival of various pathogens in surface water, sediments, and...
My name is Jessica Contreras. I am from Anchorage, Alaska and I have been at RIT for the past 5 years. I have worked at the Deaf Studies Laboratory as a Research Assistant during this time and obtained my bachelor’s in Clinical Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. I am currently working on my master’s degree in Experimental Psychology. My goal is to obtain my PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and become a researcher. My research interests are language and how the brain develops specifically in relation to signed languages. (L-R: G.Wink, RITchie, RIT President Destler, and...
My name is Madeline Beach and I recently graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Mathematics, specializing in statistics. I am currently working towards an M.S. in Applied Statistics through the Center for Quality and Applied Statistics at RIT. After earning a Masters, I hope to continue on with a PhD either in Biostatistics or Statistics with a specialization in biostatistics. I am interested in pursuing research in the field of mental health, specifically issues of quality of life and depression among the Deaf and geriatric...
