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Yes, You Can ! By Heather Leigh Whitestone Mccallum

896 Words4 Pages

Heather Leigh Whitestone McCallum was the first deaf woman to win the Miss America title in the pageants 75 year history. During her year as Miss America, Heather spent her time motivating our nation to achieve their dreams through dedication, commitment and hard work. As she delivered her message, “Anything is Possible,” throughout her term, Heather sought to inspire individuals to achieve their goals through the S.T.A.R.S. program (Success Through Action and Realization of your dreamS). As Miss America 1995, Heather traveled an average of 20,000 miles each month and spoke in a different city every other day. She has spoken to business corporations, non-profit organizations, churches, and government, including the FBI and CIA. Heather became …show more content…

The book gives great insight into one parent’s mind – how she chose the listening and spoken language approach for her daughter, various educational placements and accommodations, reactions received from the Deaf community, and all of the challenges and triumphs they faced along the way. It follows Heather from birth, her illness and subsequent deafness, through her elementary, secondary, and college education, all the way to her crowning as Miss America 1995, with lots of details about every step of the …show more content…

Earlier, she had competed in many beauty pageants She first won in the Shelby County Junior Miss pageant, as well as winning the Miss Point Mallard competition three years in a row and finally winning the Miss Alabama title in 1994, the first deaf woman to have this title. She then represented Alabama at the Miss America 1995 pageant held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Despite being profoundly deaf, she performed a classical ballet to the song “Via Dolorosa” by memorizing the music’s beats as her talent. The brave Whitestone won the preliminary talent competition, as well as the preliminary swimsuit competition. She was the first double preliminary winner from Alabama since 1985. After her reign as Miss America, she married John McCallum, a hearing man, and became Heather Whitestone McCallum. Whitestone’s S.T.A.R.S. program, (Success Through Action and Realization of your dreamS), was developed for her local school system in Alabama. The program has five points in which she believes are mandatory for success: have a positive attitude, believe in your dream, be willing to work hard, face your obstacles and build your support team. Whitestone has said she herself has used these steps with success. She now uses S.T.A.R.S. to motivate people of all ages to find their own paths to overcome their obstacles and achieve their goals. She believes that everyone has different talents, personalities and

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She also promoted her S.T.A.R.S. program; Success Through Actions and Realizations of your Dreams. Heather also worked with all children to teach and show her belief that positive thinking is the key to success. She travelled around the country to 48 different states to speak to several companies and organizations. Heather met the then current President Bill Clinton who appointed her to be a board member in Washington D.C. for the Employment of People with Disabilities. She also served as a board member to the White House Council of the

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