It was music to his ears.
About one month after receiving a cutting-edge bone-anchored hearing aid from Lenox Hill Hospital, Terrell Davis heard his own name spoken aloud in public for the first time as he graduated from 47 the American Sign Language & English Secondary School.
Davis walked to the stage with a big grin as he accepted his diploma, his family cheering and giving a standing ovation from the crowd. He got an emotional hug from his grandmother, Alice, as he returned to his seat.
“It means a lot,” said his older brother Christopher. “I’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get to this point.”
After the ceremony, Davis was hugging and signing with his interpreters and fellow classmates.
It felt “great” to graduate, the shy, soft-spoken 21 year old said, though he admits that he was “nervous” about being called up to the stage.
“I feel great,” he said, “(Today) means, to me, a lot.”
The future, he said, is wide open. He’ll continue to take cooking classes in September, but he’s got his sights set on college, too.
“I want to go out West,” he said, saying that he loves the warm weather.
His family will celebrate with him over the weekend, mom Brenda said. Davis was thankful to have them all there on his big day — including big brother Christopher, who became a father only hours before.
“I’m happy to see them,” he said. “I wanted them to see me graduate, to go onstage and get my diploma.”
His mother, Brenda, said that Davis’ life — and family life at home — has dramatically improved since he got his implant.
“His whole self-esteem has risen. He’s not as closed as he was before. It feels good when everybody’s talking and he’s paying attention. Just seeing him shine, light up, it’s been really good.”
The graduation ceremony featured heartfelt speeches, the school chorus singing “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Seasons of Love” and tears from Principal Watfa Shama.
“These are tears of joy, there’s no sadness. I’ve never been prouder,” Shama said in her principal’s address. “This is the next step in your journey.”
Teachers also spoke at the ceremony.
“If you have a dream you need to grab it,” said Dorothy Cohler, a 47 school teacher who was once told she’d never teach because she was deaf.
Shama gave each student a blue marble to symbolize the world being in the palm of each student’s hand.
“Whenever you feel that you can’t do something, take that marble out and put it in the palm in your hand and say, you know what, I have the whole world in my hand. … I can do this.”
