Cassidy Chow received bilateral cochlear implants through NextSense when she was just a baby. At age three she attended our spoken language preschool, and then spent her primary education years at NextSense School.

More than two decades later, Cassidy, 23, is preparing to pay it forward. She’s training to be an audiologist so she can set young children with hearing loss on the path to reaching their own potential, just like she did.

Cassidy’s audiologist inspired her to consider an audiology career for herself—and she’s now in her final year of her Master of Clinical Audiology Degree at Macquarie University. But it was the experience of volunteering with children at NextSense School who are deaf and hard of hearing that cemented her resolve.

Cassidy began volunteering as a casual school assistant in 2018 as she began her undergraduate studies. Describing the experience as ‘hugely rewarding’, she was so good at her job in her old school that she was offered a permanent part-time staff role. And she stayed connected with her therapists too, attending regular sessions with therapists at our Gladesville site. She also graciously volunteered to be one of the faces of NextSense when we conducted our first major client photoshoot to promote our new brand in 2021. You can see her larger than life on the hoarding outside our construction site on the Macquarie University campus.

She is now working in a casual customer service role at Hearing Australia. Her confidence has grown and she’s achieved a lot. At university, she advocates for better access for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Cassidy is looking forward to the day when she can sit in the audiologist’s chair. ‘I enjoy meeting clients who have a hearing loss and being able to make a positive impact on their lives, whether its troubleshooting their hearing devices or listening to their concerns, and helping them,’ she says.

‘I have achieved through a lot of hard work and I’m really grateful to NextSense for supporting me along the way.’

And what would she say if a young person with hearing loss asked her for advice?

‘Don’t let hearing loss be a barrier to fulfilling your goals and accomplishments, and stay connected with your friends.’