Photo Storytellers: Yvonnia Johnson Photographer/Model

Yvonnia Johnson is an outstanding communicator, expressing her thoughts well and immediately drawing attention to her expertise with words. The rising senior at High Point Andrews High School has a lot of charisma, according to those who

see her in action. ``Yvonnia is a beautiful, outgoing kid; and she has a very competitive personality,' said her school principal, Jerry Hairston.``When Yvonnia speaks publicly, she has a great presence and sense of confidence,' said Emily Moreland.

Johnson, who has been deaf since she was a baby, communicates in American Sign Language. Moreland is her personal interpreter at Andrews High.
Johnson, the daughter of Samuel and Jacqueline Titus, has never let her deafness hold her back. When she decided to enter the Optimist Club of Greensboro's Communication Contest for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing earlier this year, those who know her had no doubts she would do well.
The contest called for students to present a topic either in sign language or orally to a large audience. Johnson presented her speech on ``Growing Up in Today's World' in American Sign Language.
Moreland helped Johnson prepare for the May 7 contest by assisting her with presentation skills and making sure the speech met the time criteria.
``Yvonnia has such a fun and vivacious personality, and I think that came out in her speech,' Moreland said.
Johnson went on to win not only the Greensboro competition, but also captured the district-level of the young women's division in Statesville on May 20. The district contest was conducted by the Optimist Clubs of North Carolina's West District.
Johnson's first place prize was a $1,500 college scholarship.
Her first time speaking in front of a large group of people, Johnson said she was nervous for the Greensboro and district competitions.
``I think winning this competition is one of my proudest accomplishments,' Johnson said with a smile.
This is the second year in a row that a Guilford County student has advanced to the district level and won. Last year, Matthew Thompson, a senior at Page High School, won the men's division of North Carolina's West District competition.
The annual contest is designed to offer an opportunity to young people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to present their thoughts on a topic in a public forum, said Greensboro Optimist Club member Jackie Tracht.
Scholarship funding for the contest began in 1991 and has reached more than $60,000 annually throughout the United States. The club also sponsors an annual essay contest and oratorical contest for students without hearing problems.
``We feel like today we have to give students as much positive reinforcement as we can,' Tracht said. ``There's too much publicity about kids who have done wrong.'
This experience is hoped to develop the skills and the confidence to present either in sign language or orally to a large audience, Tracht said in describing the contest for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Students create a four- to five-minute presentation on a pre-assigned topic. Presentations are judged by a panel of three. Winners are determined on the basis of organization of material, delivery and presentation, personal appearance, poise and overall effectiveness.
Tracht said Johnson was outstanding in all the categories.
``She has such a way about her and an unbelievable charisma,' Tracht said.
Tracht and several fellow Optimist Club members went to Statesville for the district competition to support Johnson.
``We were all in tears when she won and so excited for her,' Tracht said.
Johnson's mother, Jacqueline Titus, first discovered her daughter was deaf when she was only a month old. Titus said her daughter was born premature and believes a serious ear infection may have lead to her deafness. Titus, as well as Johnson's father and older sister hear normally.
Titus said that at first she was devastated but then she accepted the prognosis and began planning the best strategies for helping her daughter.
Titus and her family began learning American Sign Language and eventually enrolled Johnson at the Central N.C. School for Deaf in Browns Summit. She attended school there, living on campus during the week and coming home on weekends, from preschool until the eighth grade. Johnson's teacher would come once a week to Titus' workplace and go over everything she had taught Johnson that week.
``She did that for the first few years, until it got a little overwhelming for me when she started getting into the upper grades,' Titus said with a laugh.
Her daughter did well during that time, her mom said, making lots of friends and becoming involved in activities.
When it was time for Johnson to attend high school, Titus encouraged her daughter to transfer to the public schools. Johnson had already been taking math and science classes in the public schools and doing well.
``I was just not quite ready yet,' Johnson said.
She opted to follow many of her friends to the Western N.C. School for the Deaf in Morganton. After a year there she decided she was ready to give the public schools a try. She and her best friend Crystal Bryant decided to transfer. Bryant now attends Northeast Guilford High.
From that point, there was no turning back for Johnson. When she walked into the halls of Andrews High School two years ago she entered an environment where she was the only deaf student.
``My cousin was the only one I knew and could communicate with at first,' Johnson said.
Titus was a little worried that students might pick on her and that her daughter might feel isolated or lonely.
Principal Hairston, the teachers and students only made her feel welcome, Johnson and Titus said.
``I think being the school's only deaf student actually makes her feel special,' Titus said with a laugh.
``Of course people were curious at first and sometimes asked stupid questions but I adjusted and made friends quickly,' Johnson said.
She was assigned an oral interpreter who goes with her to each class and helps her with assignments.
``I had to make new friends slowly, and eventually got more and more,' Johnson said.
Her mom was amazed at how easily many of the kids learned sign language.
``Sometimes I would have to ask one of her friends, 'What did she say?''
An athlete and competitive young woman, the 5-foot-10-inch Johnson immediately tried out for the school's basketball team. She made the varsity team and went on to also play volleyball and run track for the school.
``Playing sports with an all-hearing team is actually kind of easy,' Johnson said with a smile. ``There's no noise to bother me, and I can focus on what I'm doing.'
She has a sports interpreter who signs to her on the sidelines, and her basketball team made up signs for many of their plays to help Johnson out.
She also served on the school's prom committee and attended the prom with one of her older step-brothers.
Hairston said he believes Johnson's presence at Andrews has enhanced the school.
``She has leadership ability, and a lot of kids look up to her,' he said. ``She is an excellent role model for other kids with handicaps and all the students here.'
Titus did have some worries about how her daughter might excel in some areas such as language and writing in the public schools, but as it turns out she had nothing to worry about.
In 1998 Johnson and another student made the highest score in their class on the state writing competency test, Titus said. ``I was so proud of her,' Titus said.
Titus said her daughter had to do a little catching up, though, when she started at Andrews and had to adjust to what she and daughter both describe as a harder and faster environment. Titus said she bought her daughter a dictionary to help her grasp a better meaning of many words.
``She also had to strengthen her comprehension skills,' Titus said.
Looking back on their decision to switch Johnson to the public schools, Titus said she feels they did the right thing for their daughter.

``We feel it will better prepare her for the outside world and life in general,' Titus said.

This summer, Johnson has stayed busy playing in a basketball tournament with her school's team and enjoys spending time ``hanging out' and shopping with her many deaf and hearing friends. She regularly attends her mom's church, Temple Memorial Baptist, and Green Street Baptist in High Point, which has a deaf ministry. She keeps in touch with many of the deaf friends she's made over the years, especially her best friend, Crystal. In fact, Johnson found herself competing against her best friend in the Greensboro competition of the Optimist Club's communication contest.

``Her main competition was a very close friend, yet they were each joyful for one another,' Greensboro Optimist Club member Dotty Maurer said.

Johnson said she also keeps in touch with the girls she competed against at the district competition through e-mail.

Winning the essay contest is not the last of her ambitions. ``I want to become a model and go to California,' Johnson said as her mother sat back in her chair and rolled her eyes.

``You can just count California out,' Titus said to her daughter.

Johnson also is beginning to weigh her college options.

As mom and daughter squabbled back and forth over colleges out of state and in North Carolina, it was apparent Titus doesn't want her daughter going too far away.

Since she's beginning her senior year, Johnson and her mother still have a little time to sort it all out.

``Yvonnia's really aggressive and pushes for what she wants,' Titus said. ``Whatever she decides to pursue, I feel she will do well.'

Yvonnia Johnson's mother, Jacqueline Titus, served as the oral interpreter for this interview, translating her daughter's comments.