NORTHERN TODAY 7 SPRING 2022 NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSI TY | News or Northern State University alumna Hannah Rose Higdon, moving away from family, friends and the close-knit Northern community to a larger graduate school was a challenging adjustment. “I was really struggling with being able to navigate and do things by myself because I realized how much I was actually depending on other people,” said Higdon, a 2019 NSU grad with degrees in political science, communication studies and history. For instance, Higdon, who is deaf, said she had been relying on her roommate when someone knocked on the door, when the oven beeped or when the fire alarm went off. But in graduate school she was on her own, with the pandemic making it even more difficult because masks prevented Higdon from reading lips. She realized she needed more help—and she got it, thanks to her dog, Poppy. Higdon trained Poppy, her four-year-old Maltese-Yorkie, to be her service dog. Now, Poppy has successfully assisted Higdon both at home and various locations in public. When Higdon first researched service dogs, she found they were very expensive: $10,000- $15,000. After talking to a friend who trains service dogs and also to her audiologist, Higdon decided to train Poppy. She started by incorporating treats as rewards. “Poppy is very food motivated,” Higdon said. In May 2021, Higdon graduated from Indiana State University with her master’s degree in communications. She now lives in Louisville, Ky., where she works as director of marketing for RosieUp, a change management organization. Today, Poppy does mostly at-home services because Higdon had bilateral cochlear implant surgery last year, allowing her to hear exceptionally well when she’s out in public. At home, however, Higdon removes the hearing device, so Poppy still assists her there. Originally from Dupree, S.D., Higdon was diagnosed as hard of hearing at age 5 and had hearing aids since age 6. At age 20, she became profoundly deaf, but she said she navigated well using American Sign Language and reading lips. Though she struggled in graduate school, Higdon said her time at Northern thankfully gave her the confidence to ask for what she needed to succeed. “Northern was the first time in my life that I was actually able to get accessibility for my classes,” she said. Higdon received classroom accommodations through the Disability Services Office such as note-takers and video captions. “Those things might seem small, but for someone who has not had access like that, it was a game-changer,” she said. “I graduated Northern with a 4.0 GPA. Once I had those tools, I was able to contribute to my success.” NSU alumna says accessibility at Northern helped lead to her success F believing in themselves as learners,” she said. “The change is always so great from beginning to end of school year in growth of selves, and I’m so proud to be a small part of helping them each find that change!” On her path to success, Bowman said Northern’s education and math departments were extraordinary. “The math professors were always around to help, and encouraged it, and never stopped believing and pushing me to be better,” she said. “I had hiccups throughout my four years at NSU, and they never let me believe that they thought I wouldn’t overcome those hiccups. It’s as if they knew I could accomplish more than I thought I could. The education department really built me up as a future teacher. They also pushed me to the uncomfortable point of learning, proving how powerful those moments are in your own education.” Her advice for other current or future teachers: “Teaching is hard. The first five years especially. Be willing to keep an open mind, use all good and constructive criticisms to learn from, and always be willing to change.” She also advised them to learn from their colleagues. “We teachers are so good at what we do… and always have something cool to share; be open and willing to listen and to share!” Bowman said. “We all have strengths. Always use your strengths, adjust from your weaknesses, and everything you do will continue to get better. Remember, it needs to be ALWAYS about the benefit of the student. That doesn’t mean they deserve all your time, all of the time, but they deserve the time you do spend to be deliberately for the benefit of them as a learner.” Legacy Award children of alumni may qualify to pay in-state tuition for their undergraduate degree. Visit Campus: Contact NSU Admissions at 1-800-678-5330 or admissions@northern.edu to learn and set up a campus visit! northern.edu/visit. Apply: northern.edu/apply Save money on your child’s education through the NSU
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