Connor Silver

Born in California in1999, when hearing tests were optional for a newborn, Connor Silver’s parents were told he was in perfect health. As the months passed, though, the signs pointed to the fact that something was not right with his hearing. It was not until he was two years old he was diagnosed with a severe hearing loss.

Soon after Connor was diagnosed, he was referred to the John Tracy Center, His parents mention that “JTC was the stepping stone to the journey he finds himself today. Attending John Tracy Center’s Preschool gave him the ability to learn how to speak, communicate, and gave him the stepping stones into understanding how to carry daily conversations.”

Carrying with him the skills from JTC, Connor was able to begin attending a mainstream elementary school with the care and support of an audiologist and a trained staff.  Connor was able to further hone his hearing, listening, and speaking skills in a mainstream middle school and high school.  He followed his passion and soon discovered a love for tennis and photography. Attending an art driven high school, Connor was able to gain an outreach for his photography in which he was able to showcase his work to the public – and was even acknowledged in collaborative projects with Adidas, Nike, Footlocker, These Streets Magazine, and others.  

Currently, Connor is about to begin his Junior year as a Business Major at the California State University of Los Angeles.  Connor wants to continue to explore his passions in Photography and other Mediums while still pursuing his studies in Business. 

Connor was the first alum guest for JTC’s online webinar and Speaker Series: Creating Conversations where he interviewed famous Pakistani photographer, Mobeen Ansari.  community. 

Connor feels a tremendous desire to give back to the deaf and hard of hearing community by creating social outreach to families within the JTC community. Connor said, “ Without JTC, Connor believes that he would stand where he is today”.