By Alexis Dewey
People around the world, of all ages, are trying to “find their voice.” It is a universal quest for people to fully understand who they are. Finding your voice can be a beautiful thing, but it’s not easy for some people. Normally, you find out what you want to stand up for and what you are passionate about, and then you find your voice. For those of us who have speech impediments, we might have found our voice, but we are not always able to use it.
My name is Alexis Dewey. I am 22 years old and a junior majoring in mass communication with an emphasis in editing and writing. If you are close to me at all, you know that I have several passions, with three of them being public speaking, theater and journalism However, ironically enough, I grew up with a speech impediment that still affects me today. This impediment caused me to go through seven years of speech therapy.
My speech impediment brought various challenges, especially revolving around my education. Such hurdles in my life made it difficult for me to start my school experience. Learning how to read and write was a large struggle for me growing up. This is because I had a difficult time speaking and pronouncing words correctly, so I also could not sound out words while trying to spell them. This made learning basic things in kindergarten and first grade harder. My parents were told by doctors that I would never graduate high school or even carry a conversation with another person. Nevertheless, I am a junior in college studying communication and someone who loves public speaking on a regular basis.
Growing up being told you cannot achieve “normal” things is tough, but it is amazing when you can see God working through your darkest times. Although I grew up not being able to communicate normally with anyone, even my own parents, I never gave up. This experience taught me so much, and it helps me relate to other people in my life, as well.
I now enjoy encouraging people and helping them see the bright side. I just recently started sharing my story, as I used to be embarrassed. I am now proud of how far I have come and amazed at the things God has done through me. I have now begun to find my voice, have you?