Analía rarely calls me on the phone – she usually texts, but not for the reasons most people do. I met Analía Camarda on the set of the TV show En Casa con Martín Ycaza, at Telemundo43. Tall and beautiful, I took her to be a model, which she did turn out to be. One of the producers called out to her and she did not look up. He went up to her and patted her on the shoulder, and as he vocalized exaggeratedly when speaking to her up close, I realized Analía was deaf. She sat down next to the TV show host and answered his questions in front of the camera while I listened to her story, spoken in her distinctive voice. Impressed, when the program was over, I walked up to her and asked for her number. Analía, now 28 years old, was born in Argentina, and moved to Florida with her mother and her brother, who is also deaf, a few years ago. Both siblings are deaf since childhood.
“At first I could not read people´s lips here because I did not understand or speak English”, she says. “Now I speak both English and Spanish.” In Argentina she obtained a scholarship to study Psychology, but then she came to the United States. In the meantime she pursued her passion for modeling.
“Ever since I was a kid, I would go to casting-calls and I would be interviewed on television, to prove that even if you are deaf from a young age you can still learn how to speak. I even sang on a TV program with Xuxa,” she explains.
She is now working on producing a film about the hearing impaired. She is living her dream of being a model and participating in magazines and Latino TV shows and she recently got her diploma in Faux Finishes Art. In order to supplement her income in tough times, she works as a server in the restaurant of a hotel.
“My mother was responsible for my brother and me learning how to speak. It was a long process and we even had to relocate so that we could attend a special school. My mother taught me how to be independent and fight for my goals. She taught me how to be free, and I am very proud of her as a mother and as a person.”
Analía has also faced many challenges that are not related to being deaf, but she has no regrets.
“Suffering is good in the sense that it makes us value what we have. We can always start over. We all make mistakes, but that gives us experience and helps us be more cautious when making new decisions.”
Her advice to others who have dreams and want to turn them into goals is: “Make the best of every day. The solution is in your hands. Being deaf has not been a deterrent for me, and I have achieved more so far than many people with normal hearing. Do not let others rain on your parade. Show them you can do more than them, go farther than them!”
To get in touch with Analía Camarda - analia_camarda@hotmail.com
http://www.lorrainecladish.com/
Although I've never met Analia in person, I could already sense that she was a strong and smart woman. Seriously, all cliches aside, she gave me the confidence to go back to school the next day and not to worry about what other people think about me (and i always used to think about what others opinions were about me). Even though we had just met (through a mutual friend), she made me feel like a little sister! And I love her for that! Ana is one of my role models becasue she shows me that no matter what I go through, I can still be a succesful, intelligent and beautiful woman at the same time!! Who says you cant be both smart and pretty??
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