Epstein’s mother, Rachel, played lacrosse at Richmond and signed up her three daughters (Lindsay, Alana and Jamie) for the sport. “My sisters and I always went into the backyard to throw and catch,” Epstein said. “I loved it.”
Epstein can’t say for sure how sounds, like her teammates calling out a play or parents laughing, sound different for her compared to people born without hearing loss. But she has some idea.
“From my research and what my audiologist tells me, it sounds more computerized. It would sound almost like a Siri to you,” Epstein said. “But, to me, it sounds normal.”
But the sounds aren’t robotic. Epstein can differentiate between tones and emotions. She can tell when Furman coach Kirkland Lewis is excited about how a game is going and when she’s, well, less than thrilled.
Still, Epstein faces her share of challenges. It's harder for her to hear the whistle or her teammates calling plays. They literally push her in the right direction when necessary. Kirkland wears a Bluetooth device to communicate with Epstein through a speaker only she can hear.
But Epstein also has learned other ways to communicate and read situations, partly because of her days in the backyard with her sisters in Marietta, Georgia. Especially Lindsay, a former Ohio State player who now coaches at Fairfield. She had a knack for teaching.
“She spent hours with me teaching me techniques when someone is about to call the play,” Epstein said. “It helped me read body language rather than relying on audio. It was a lot of practice.”
A health sciences and psychology major, Epstein has spent her last two summers volunteering at Atlanta Speech School with 2- and 3-year-olds with hearing loss.
“My audiologist has supported me, advocated for me and helped me in so many ways,” Epstein said. “She had such an influence on me. I wanted to do that for someone else.”
Epstein is applying to graduate school for audiology.
“I really want people to realize that even with the disability and hearing loss, through hard work, motivation and a support system, they can be successful in everything they do in this hearing world,” she said. “In sports, school, career — whatever they want to do.”