Born with hearing loss, she earned a musical theatre degree

Every five to seven days, Sabrina Wong changes the tiny batteries powering her hearing aids. Without them, the 21-year-old struggles to hear and follow conversations.

The tiny devices have also helped make what she once thought was a “wild dream” possible – performing on stage.

Born with moderate-to-severe hearing loss in both ears, Wong grew up shy and introverted, often retreating into what she calls “my own world”.

Today, the Shanghai-born Wong is set to graduate from LASALLE College of the Arts in August with a bachelor’s degree (Honours) in musical theatre, and has performed in several college productions.

For Wong, finding her voice has been a deeply personal experience.

GROWING UP WITH HEARING LOSS

Wong was diagnosed with hearing loss in both ears after a routine newborn hearing screening. However, she did not wear hearing aids consistently until she was around five or six years old.

The older, bulkier devices she tried were uncomfortable and some doctors had told her parents it was “fine” for her to go without them.

In preschool, while other children gravitated towards friendship groups and shared inside jokes, Wong often felt unsure of what was going on around her.

“Spending my kindergarten years without hearing aids shaped my shy and somewhat introverted personality. Since I couldn’t hear what others were saying, that led me to live in my own world,” she said.

It was only when she was about to enter elementary school that she began wearing hearing aids to keep up in class. Wong said that missing those early years of language development also affected her speech.