Faith Bennett

College: University of Missouri - Fall, 2024
Her CDH Story: As a survivor of CDH, it feels as though most of my life has been an uphill battle; making progress that I immediately fell back on. However, no hill is insurmountable, especially if you never stop climbing. As my mom always said, “Be a victor, not a victim.”
When I was in third grade, there was a new program introduced to our school called Girls on the Run. This program presented the opportunity for third through fifth graders to train for, and eventually run a 5k. When I expressed my eagerness to participate, I was immediately rejected because of fear. My parents didn’t understand that they were my biggest obstacle yet, and trying to convince them to let me be independent would be the hardest challenge of all, since they were terrified of any preventable health issues. Luckily, my dad had posed a question in private that would echo through the following years of my life: “What was the point in fighting for her life if we aren’t going to let her live?” he asked my mom.
I realized that CDH will never go away, it will always be a part of me, and it’s best to embrace it and the obstacles that accompany it.
Hobbies and Interests: I love to read and learn sign language. In school: Junior Varsity cheerleading: Freshman year; Varsity Cheerleading: Junior and Senior year; Competitive Cheerleading: Senior Year; Student Council: Junior and Senior Year; Green Club: Junior and Senior Year; Student Advisory: Senior Year; SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions): Junior and Senior Year; Business Club: Junior and Senior Year.
Professional Aspirations: I aspire to be a speech-language pathologist who works in a school setting. I will work with students in a way that collectively meets the goals of their school curriculum, family expectations, and other objectives. By mastering the role of speech pathology and developing my skills in the field, I believe I will be able to personally change the lives of many adolescents struggling with communication disorders. I’m looking forward to working with students one-on-one and learning together what works best for them in order to make a difference in their day-to-day lives.