Miss Deaf Colorado, Ody Pol, will visit East High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 12:00 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. to pass on her story of courage and self-esteem to deaf and hearing students.

Pol, 22, was born in a Thailand refugee camp after her family fled war-torn Cambodia. Her family lived with thousands of other refugees under basic conditions, she became ill at 6 months old with a fever that robbed her of her hearing. When she was four years old, Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood sponsored the family and moved Pol, her father, mother and grandmother to Denver. Her younger brother was born in Denver. She attended Denver West High School and made straight A’s. In addition to her classes, she was a member of the student government, a cheerleader, and played volleyball and tennis.

As Miss Deaf Colorado, she travels around Colorado giving talks on behalf of the 106,000 hearing impaired people in Colorado. Pol also uses an interpreter at the University of Colorado-Denver, where she studies sociology full-time. After she graduates this year, she wants to study pediatric nursing or counseling, she said.

Pol wants to show students that hearing loss doesn’t have to be a handicap. “I would not want to be a hearing person,” she said. “I don’t want to change anything about who I am.” Pol will be at East High School for periods 6 through 8 in room 159. The Angel Sign Language Club is sponsoring the event. East High School is located at 1545 Detroit St., telephone 303-394-8300.