Ava Pruden

Ava Pruden is an award-winning swimmer who was diagnosed with significant hearing loss as an infant, but that has never stopped her determination to succeed.

“I wasn’t born with hearing loss. I actually passed my newborn screening,” she said. “They discovered (I had hearing loss) when I was two months old.”

Pruden, a 17-year-old junior at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, was first introduced to swimming as a young child.

“My mom put me and my brother on the swim team,” she said. “I immediately fell in love with swimming and my passion for swimming has only grown over the years.”

For preschool and kindergarten, Pruden was schooled with other children who were hard of hearing, but she later transitioned into public school.

“The transition was definitely difficult,” she said. “Before, I was surrounded by other kids just like me. So (public school) was harder and definitely more difficult to navigate.”

Despite the overwhelming obstacles, Pruden found her place.

“I would definitely say (my hearing loss) makes me stronger,” she said. “I’ve had to learn to advocate for myself. It’s been awesome to stand up for what I need to succeed. And my friends, over the years, have been very accepting. They see me as one of their friends and not any different.”

Still, her hearing loss poses challenges when she is swimming for the Seaholm High School team, but the school tries to accommodate her needs.

“On the Seaholm swim team, the starting equipment has a light that helps me to see when to go,” she sais.

Through hard work and determination, Pruden made the Deaflympics swim team and she was invited to compete in Tokyo, Japan, with other swimmers who have hearing loss. The experience gave her some ideas to bring back to her Seaholm team.

“When I’m on the block, I’m looking down. In Tokyo, there was a light on the box. It was at perfect eye level. I’m going to go to my athletic director this year about getting that here.”

The Deaflympics was an amazing experience for Pruden.

“Growing up, I didn’t swim with other kids who were hard of hearing. I felt very at home (at the Deaflympics),” she said. “We all had been through similar experiences. It was amazing. There were athletes from all over the world and 82 countries. When I found out about the Deaflympics, I made it my goal to go.”

Pruden not only competed, but she won the bronze medal in the Deaflympics. She enjoyed cohorting with the other athletes.

“One of the traditions is that we trade pins with different countries,” she said. “So I have those pins from other countries and that was so meaningful.”

The avid swimmer hasn’t had to go through life’s challenges alone. Her twin brother also has hearing loss.

“We go through the same experiences,” she said. “It’s something we can talk about and we can go to each other for anything.”

The encouragement and love from Pruden’s mother is something that cannot be overstated.

“My mom has always advocated for me,” she said.

Pruden wants to compete, once again, in the Deaflympics in 2029.

“It’s in Greece,” she said.

The young dynamo has a passion for audiology and hopes to pursue a career in that field.

“I want to become a pediatric audiologist,” she said. “I want to give back and help other kids like me.”

Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Theodore Michael