Freshman wants to give gift of hearing

One day three years ago, when Olivia Taylor was a sophomore in high school, her world expanded. She finally could hear her dog clattering around the house, the A/C humming and cars chugging down the street. She even could hear herself better.

That was the day Taylor, now a freshman at the University of North Dakota, was fitted with hearing aids.

“It was like ‘Whoa,’” Taylor said. “Like an aha moment.”

And it’s a moment the Grand Forks native now wants to share with others. Inspired by her doctor and with dreams of becoming an audiologist, she’s studying both Communication Sciences & Disorders and Music at UND.

“Hearing is a gift. I don’t think a lot of people understand that,” Taylor said. “I want to give that gift to people or help them get that gift.”

Read Taylor’s story and the stories of other inspiring leaders in action.