Nyle DiMarco was born into a multigenerational deaf family so it’s the only world he’s ever known. On Thursday, he shared his compassion, talents and activism for raising awareness and promoting the importance of language within and beyond the deaf community as the first speaker in this year’s HYPE Career Ready Program.
Years ago, when Nyle was living in Florida, a volleyball friend asked him a thought-provoking question: “He asked me if I wished I could hear. My answer was no. My life would be so different.”
That story led to his main HYPE message to embrace who you are. The person he is today is totally different than what he had planned as a math major at Gallaudet University. Following his graduation, he decided to travel the world for a year. Later when he was applying for jobs, America’s Next Top Model approached him and asked him to apply. That was followed by the same request for a role in Switched at Birth.
“I thought, ‘What if this is real. Maybe TV is my calling,’” Nyle said through his interpreter, Ramon. “How does a deaf person get this opportunity? Maybe it’s fate.”
Told that he couldn’t do both shows simultaneously, he let his dog decide. America’s Next Top Model it was! Although it was draining and not always pleasant, that season changed Nyle’s life completely. His approach to avoid drama and spread his message worked, because he won that season. But that wasn’t his only reality TV competition.
He followed that with winning the mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars. The show proved to be a great platform for Nyle to raise awareness about the deaf culture, not just among the show’s cast but to the millions in the TV audience. It started with his pro partner on DWTS, Peta Murgatroyd.
“I told Peta, ‘You learn about my culture and I’ll learn about dance culture.’ I’m a very competitive person, so I just had to work twice as hard.”
Juggling his new career and a strong desire to serve the deaf community as an ambassador, he formed the Nyle DiMarco Foundation, which works to improve the lives of deaf people around the world. “When I started the foundation, I wanted to change the system and raise awareness,” Nyle said. “It quickly went viral. This is only the beginning.” The foundation works with state legislators to ensure that every deaf child has access to language – English, American Sign Language or both.
Although his career took unexpected turn, Nyle said he’s doing the same thing, just on a bigger scale. “I’m still teaching the world about the deaf community.”
He encouraged students to reach for their goals with authenticity. “Embrace yourself. Embrace your differences and you’re going to be fine.”
See the full photo gallery from Thursday's HYPE Day.