Yesterday was the final day of internship for Jessica Wicker at The Marketing Spot. She is off for her final year as a marketing major at Baylor University. Yes, Jessica provided a productive summer’s work, and even started a blog about her intern experience: Fresh Eye in Marketing. But that’s not the story.
One thing you notice when you first meet Jessica, is that she has an accent. You might wonder ‘where she is from?’ What you don’t know is that Jessica was born deaf. But how would you know? Jessica never uses, nor has she ever learned, sign language. Early on, her family made the decision that Jessica would be integrated as much as possible into everyday society. She is thankful they did.
At age five, through the miracle of a cochlear implants, Jessica heard her first sounds. Those sounds were neither perfect nor clear, but the combination of cochlear implants and reading lips opened up a new world for Jessica. And she took full advantage of it.
In high school, Jessica was a cheerleader and took part in competitive cheerleading. She once even made ESPN. Then it was off to Waco, Texas and Baylor University. This Fall, she will participate with her sorority in Pigskin Review, a traditional school talent show.
Yes, there were a few challenges for Jessica in the office. She has some difficulty hearing people on the phone unless she’s met them first in person. I needed Jessica to make several calls for me on a particular project. We agreed that when Jessica called, she would just inform people of her hearing impairment and ask them to speak slowly and clearly. No problems.
Throughout the summer, Jessica never complained or made excuses. She just did her job, and rather well. Next week Jessica gets upgraded to a newer model of cochlear implant and she hopes to watch television without captions. Whoever hires Jessica upon her graduation will hire an intelligent young woman with a disciplined work ethic, an employee with a bubbly personality and friendly disposition, and a little something extra: an inspirational story.
Thanks for all your hard work, Jessica!
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