Mesquite teen becomes winner of first Miss Deaf USA pageant

Annie Flanzraich

Friday, July 1, 2005 | 7:49 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

July 2-3, 2005

As is any other 18-year-old preparing to enter college this fall, Lacy Tingey is stressed out. How will she get used to a new city? What about the friends and family she will leave behind?

But unlike most teens, she doesn't whine about her worries. Instead her concerns come out in a rapid flurry of hand movements.

When she agrees with a statement, she makes a mmm-hmm sound and bounces her index finger and her thumb together in an "O" shape, gesturing towards the speaker. About 10 minutes into the conversation she is so engaging and lively it's hard to realize she hasn't spoken a word.

When she signs, her face is alive with emotions and her hands bubble out words -- the same way any other excited teenager would rush out a sentence. Exaggerating her facial expressions is part of the way she gets a message across, she said.

With sign language, "It's hard to show emotion and get across what you're trying to say," she signed while her mother interpreted. "I'm used to it all of my life because I've had to use a lot of emotion. I've talked and talked all my life and always showed my expressions."

Lacy has been deaf since she was 18 months old. As a baby, Lacy had constant ear infections. When she was 9 months old, a doctor told Lacy's mother, Monica Echols, that the infection in her daughter's ears had hardened around the bone. The doctor couldn't guarantee Lacy would ever hear again. There is no genetic history of deafness in Lacy's family.

Her mother learned sign language, and made every effort to ensure her daughter would grow up independent and not use her disability as an excuse. When Lacy was 16 she and her family moved from Salt Lake City to Mesquite, a town which had a smaller deaf population than Salt Lake City.

"We wanted her to feel what life was like in the hearing world," Echols said. "We wanted her to have every opportunity to succeed in life and not feel like she had to be just another deaf kid."

In April, Lacy became the first winner of the Miss Deaf USA pageant, which was held at the Palace Station Casino. Previously, she was the first runner-up in the Miss Mesquite pageant and as a child she was in a Miss Cinderella Pageant. While she enjoyed the Miss Mesquite pageant, the worst part was strutting onstage in a bathing suit.

"The swimsuit was the worst part," she said. "I don't like to show my body a lot. I'm really modest and I'm not used to it."

The Miss Deaf USA pageant was easier. She did not have to wear a swimsuit and, she said, she felt as if the deaf culture understands her more. In both pageants she signed "Come Home Soon" by Shedaisy for her talent.

"I wanted to show as much emotion and expression to help them understand, because a lot of people don't understand sign language," Lacy said.

Bonita Leek organized the competition this year to recognize young deaf or hard-of-hearing women who are career- and goal-oriented. She said in this way it differs from the Miss Deaf America pageant, which started in 1972 and focuses more on community service and social work.

Leek said that Lacy, who hopes to become a pediatrician, fits the role perfectly. Lacy also took home the title of Miss Congeniality and won the talent competition. She competed against three other girls.

"It was her personality," Leek said. "She was so bubbly and so friendly."

Now Lacy is waiting to find out if she was accepted to Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., a school that caters to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. One of the acceptance requirements is fluency in sign language. Only 5 percent of the almost 2,000 students at the school have full hearing ability.

Lacy said after she receives her undergraduate degree, she wants to go to the University of Utah to get her medical degree.

Kathy Gibson, one of Lacy's interpreters at Virgin Valley High School in Mesquite, 82 miles northeast of Las Vegas, said that being deaf never has held Lacy back.

Looking at the teen's achievements, "You would never know that she is hearing impaired," Gibson said. "It does not hold her back at all."

Lacy also plays volleyball and throws discus and shotput with the track team. Her favorite subject is science, especially biology.

A former teacher who encouraged Lacy to join the Miss Deaf USA pageant said Lacy's positive attitude has inspired other deaf children. In the Clark County School District, there are 367 deaf students.

"She's always been willing to go out and do,"said Hal Mortensen, who is now a dean at W. Mack Lyon Middle School in Overton. "She would motivate the other deaf kids her age to get out and do things." That's exactly what Lacy hopes her determination will do for other people.

"I'm hoping that it will help others learn that it doesn't matter what comes our way," she signed. "We can handle anything."