Search for Ana Kristina Arce on YouTube and youll find video upon video of commencement speeches. Without a sound, she is able to communicate passion and hope in her speeches. Deaf since she was born, Anas hearing disability didnt stop her from unstoppable yearning to learn. She was awarded class valedictorian at the Philippine School for the Deaf and her success in the academe went on from there. In 2009, she graduated magna cum laude from the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde (CSB) with a degree in Applied Deaf studies. Her focus was on the multimedia arts and she went on to become a graphic artist at her alma mater, CSB. Blazing the trail, she continued on to study abroad to pursue a Masters Degree. She earned her MA in Deaf Studies from the Gallaudet University, Washington D.C., one of the worlds most prominent universities in the field of deaf studies. She is the first Filipino to be sent to Gallaudet University with a World Deaf Leadership Scholarship. Why all the studying? Ana says she wants to give back. On the New Internationalist Blog she said: I hope to not only help them (the deaf) go through college, but also make them good researchers, and active advocates in their respective communities. In my advocacy, Im looking at opportunities to bring the needs of the Deaf into the consciousness of society, especially the hearing people. I aim to help integrate the Deaf and the hearing together in unity, bridge the communication gap, increase awareness of the Deaf culture, and raise the respect for the natural sign language of the Filipino Deaf the Filipino Sign Language.