Ana Kristina Arce

Have you heard her success?

Physical deformities have never been a hindrance to achieve one’s goal if one has full will and determination to reach that dream goal or pursuit. Take for example, Ms. Ana Kristina Macasaet Arce’s loud success in her silent world being hailed and dubbed as the fist Filipina Deaf student that has graduated with magna cum laude title from De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).

Ana Kristina Macasaet Arce

Ana was born deaf and grow up as she was born by her mother who struggle to make Ana hear and speak but to no avail, Ana’s mother was not successful though a specialist doctor recommend a hearing aid which Ana could wear so that she will hear sounds and could eventually speak. According to Ana’s interpreter who is using a hand sign language to speak to Ana, she felt uncomfortable wearing a hearing aid because of the loud noises she hear wearing it. Thus, because of her parent’s failure to make her hear and speak, just accepted the fate of her daughter and enrolled her at the Philippine School for the Deaf instead, to avoid discrimination from a common hearing school. From the school where she belongs, she becomes a class valedictorian.

De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB)

However, on her college years before her parents heard the Program of De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) regarding deaf students, she was enrolled in a common college schools wherein she have a not so pleasant experiences.

Ana Kristina Macasaet Arce

Upon her parents hearing the program of De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB)’s School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies or SDEAS from parents who have also deaf children, they enrolled Ana.

Ana was enrolled in the Bachelor in Applied Deaf Studies major in Multimedia Arts,wherein she graduated a Magna Cum Laude, wherein she now works as an artist at De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB)’s Marketing and Communications department and an active advocator or Deaf Advocacy program of De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) that encourage deaf Filipinos to pursue college or to pursue education despite of their physical disability and should not mind what the hearing people will see at them.

De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB)

According to Ana herself, a deaf person could also do anything like a normal person except only to hear. Moreover, Ana also says “..Communication with our hands should not make a difference..We are not different breeds because of our disability.We also want to live in a society where people will not stare or frown at us or treat us differently…”