Photo: Sarah Milshtein, Westview High School. Photo by Isabel Lim.
By Special to The Oregonian
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on June 25, 2016 at 12:00 PM, updated June 25, 2016 at 12:02 PM
Editor’s note: This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration between The Oregonian/OregonLive and Oregon State University. Read this post for more information about the training program.
Sarah Milshtein remembers the feeling of ice-cold putty inside her ear when she tried on her first hearing aid.
When she wore them to class for the first time, the marbled blue, white and purple aids drew a crowd of fellow second-graders. Fascinated, they asked how the devices worked and even begged to try them on themselves.
When fourth grade came around, that changed. Her peers started to exclude and tease her. A friend of her dad’s told her she should hide her hearing aids.
When a teacher assigned her to write about a struggle in her life, she took it as an opportunity to stand up for herself.
She remembers the look of awe on her classmates’ faces as she recited her narrative. It altered her relationships with her classmates for the better.
Today, she has realized how writing, speaking and advocacy can be used for self-expression. She uses words to help others understand what it’s like to be Jewish, hearing-impaired and also a lesbian.
“If we can educate bullies through writing,” she said, “we can get some understanding and some ignorant questions answered.”
Sarah wrote her first poem at a young age. Her mom gave her a stamped spiral-bound notebook when she was 7 after her parents divorced. Poetry filled those pages.
Whether or not the poems made sense didn’t matter to her as long as the words rhymed. When she brought a poem to her dad to read one day, he was amazed by her rhythm. She and her dad would discuss and debate current events. Sometimes she would make up a news story, and her dad would guess whether it was true.
During freshman year, her school encouraged students to join a club. Speech and debate seemed like the best option. When her first competition for the debate team came around, she again found an opportunity to argue for social justice. She earned second place with her speech about being hearing-impaired.
She can still remember the cream-and-crimson dress she wore for her uncle’s wedding and the realization that she didn’t feel comfortable wearing it. She dated boys in middle school to make everyone think she was straight.
Her school’s Queer Straight Alliance club, where she hopes to be a leader next year, is a safe space for her. Sarah aims to be a leader that acknowledges all the little struggles and realities members of the LGBT community face on a daily basis, at home and at school.
“If you’re truly passionate, pour your heart out,” she said, “but don’t be mad when they don’t get it.”
— Isabel Angeles Lim, Parkrose High School
Source: www.oregonlive.com/teens/index.ssf/2016/06/former_victim_finds_her_voice.html
