Episode 7: Senior Chapel Talk by Brandon Rubsamen '19

“What is it that sets me apart?” Brandon Rubsamen asked in his Senior Chapel Talk. He was determined to pick a topic that hadn’t already been covered and so he shared his story of being part deaf–or how he used to be. At a young age, doctors discovered he was missing his stapes bone, which is located in the middle ear and is the smallest bone in the body. Without it, he could only hear muffled sounds. Sporting a new hearing aid when he reached kindergarten, he viewed it as something unique that made him who he was. As he grew older, he realized the silver lining that he could turn it off when he was annoyed. In 2011, he had surgery to replace the missing bone with a titanium implant, thus becoming a bonafide cyborg. Discovering new sounds and what he had been missing, he told the community that we often don’t realize how good things can be until we get there–listen for the small things in life, the hidden joys, and always look for the silver lining.