2023 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

Abigail Marshall is the 2023 recipient of the Wave Foundation scholarship. She was selected based on her passion for kindness, commitment to authenticity and advocacy and the profound positive impact that she has had on her community over the years.

She has documented over 500 hours volunteering with local organizations such as the Cape Ann Animal Aid and the Miracle League of the North Shore. She has also helped to fundraise for an all-girls secondary school in Namwala, Zambia through Rockport High School's National Honor Society and personally led a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons.

Abby believes that language is a right and has prioritized learning ASL in order to be an advocate in the community and to be able to provide language support for students with disabilities. She has worked full time as a teacher's assistant with Beverly School for the Deaf, where she states that their "amazing community of staff and students helped me advance my ASL skills, learn first-hand the best approaches to teaching Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children, and grow as a person."

She plans to pursue higher education so that she may someday become a teacher of the Deaf who puts language first in order to prevent students from becoming language-deprived and falling back both academically and socially.

She states that she "will be their voice until I teach them how to use their own."

Abby is currently a freshman at Flagler College where she majors in Deaf Education and Elementary Education. Ahead of her first semester, she stated that she was "looking forward to learning many new skills in college and expanding upon my passion for advocating for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students right to language and quality education."

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We are proud to share that she earned a 4.0 GPA in her first semester at Flagler college and is continuing to be a shining light of positivity and kindness in her community.