By the time Heather Whitestone was 18 months old, she lost the majority of her hearing. Her parents put her in schools that catered to her needs as a deaf child, however, Heather didn't want that for herself. She begged to attend public school to surround herself with "normal" children so that she didn't feel sorry for herself. She quickly learned sign language and completed high school with a 3.6 GPA. She went on to Jacksonville State and developed her love for ballet. She learned to listen for the sound waves in order to be able to properly dance at the right time. At the same time, she entered her first pageant and won the title of Miss Jacksonville State University. With the title she went on to become the first deaf Miss Alabama in the pageant's history. In 1995 she graced the Miss America stage with her beauty and poise and won the hearts of the judges, ultimately winning her the crown. During her reign she went around the country promoting her S.T.A.R.S. program and engaging in motivational speaking events. After her time as Miss America had ended, she went back to Alabama to finish college and continued speaking to all types of people, especially those affected by disabilities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Whitestone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Whitestone
After her reign was over, Heather returned to college ~~ Heather traveled as a motivational speaker