Grace Arnold Gore is just one of those people you want to know better. She's intelligent, beautiful, dedicated, compassionate, and she's also Miss Tennessee, 2007. Currently a second year doctoral student of Audiology at Vanderbilt University, a top-ranked Au.D. program, Grace will spend the next 12 months on a whirlwind tour of the state as Miss Tennessee, and as an advocate for her philanthropic work called "Hearing: Conservation, Rehabilitation and Awareness."
Miss Tennessee has worked with the Ear Foundation, located in Nashville, and intends to use her newly-earned star status to spread the word about hearing health.
In an interview with Audiology Online, Ms. Gore said, "Different audiology groups have contacted me already! I look forward to organizing fundraisers for both the Ear Foundation programs and the Vanderbilt [University] Audiology Department. So far, every interview and speaking engagement as Miss Tennessee has piqued the public's curiosity about the field, causing people to think about the health of their own hearing. I hope to take advantage of every opportunity to make a difference this year."
Inspirational Beauty
Miss Tennessee's plans to use her reign to teach about healthy hearing is, indeed, inspirational. Even more so when you consider the obstacles Grace overcame to reach her goals of becoming Miss Tennessee and helping others improve their communication skills.
In an interview that appeared in The Tennessean, Ms. Gore described a difficult childhood coping with scoliosis - a condition caused by abnormal, pronounced curvature of the spine. Scoliosis can lead to a number of other conditions including body asymmetry, back pain and fatigue - a very serious condition for many. "I wore a Boston brace 23 hours a day during junior high school. That was a very "character building" experience as my mother would say. I was as awkward as they come."
It wasn't until she reached her junior year in high school that her family located a surgeon at Johns Hopkins University who was able to correct Grace's scoliosis using rods and screws to realign her spine. It doesn't take much imagination to visualize the hurdles this remarkable person has overcome. She is an inspirational beauty.
Why Audiology?
Ms. Gore's dedication to the study of hearing health and communicative disorders stems from a documentary she saw as a youngster. "I was very moved by a documentary I happened to see that followed a little girl and her family through the cochlear implant process. I remember watching the parents' expressions of joy as their daughter's implant was activated and she responded to sound for the first time. I knew then that audiology was a field that I could be passionate about. I then focused my studies in Communicative Disorders and audiology, I became even more fascinated by the hearing mechanism and its anatomy and physiology."
After graduating from high school, Grace attended the College of Charleston (SC) before transferring to the University of Mississippi. There, she earned a degree in Communicative Disorders. Now specializing in audiology studies at Vanderbilt, Grace is working toward her Au.D..
The Future Looks Bright
During her interview with Audiology Online, Grace was asked about her future plans, once her reign and her studies are complete. "I see myself always being involved in hearing healthcare, no matter what path my life may take. At this point, I am not certain about a specific area within the scope of practice that I will specialize. Each area I study interests me!"
Miss Tennessee 2007 has many interests, which makes her an interesting person to meet. There's just something about Grace Arnold Gore that makes you want to know her better. Her smile, her determination and dedication, her sense of humor, her obvious intelligence and her desire to help others makes her one of those people you'd want for a friend.
And regardless of what Grace chooses for her specialty within audiology science, you just know the profession, and "Dr. Gore's" fortunate patients, will benefit from her empathy, kindness and unwavering determination.
We wish Miss Tennessee 2007 all the best for her reign and beyond.
