Robert Davila was born in southern California to Mexican-American parents who worked in fields and orchards. At age eight, he contracted spinal meningitis and became deaf. When his mother learned about a school for the deaf in northern California, she sent him alone on a journey to California School for the Deaf, Fremont but he attended to Berkley before moved to Fremont in late of 1930’s and early of 1940’s. He graduated from Gallaudet University and earns Bachelor degrees in Education. He was class of 1953.

Dr. Robert Davila is first Deaf Hispanic to earn a doctorate degree in Educational Technology at Syracuse University. He became the highest-ranking Deaf person ever appointed to a federal government position in 1990’s during President George W. Bush.

He served as the ninth president of Gallaudet University from 2007 to 2009. Dr. Davila was chief executive officer of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) from 1996 to 2004, and assistant secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of Education in 1989 to 1993.
He did selling his book in 2007, the book called “Moments of Truth: Robert R. Davila, the Story of a Deaf Leader”.

Born on July 3, 1980 in Walnut Creek, California, Shoshannah Stern is from the fourth-generation of a deaf family. Growing up in Fremont, California, she was educated at California School for the Deaf, where her parents worked and her siblings also studied. As soon as she completed her studies, her family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. She later attended Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the world, where she actively participated in theater, garnering awards and recognition. As a child, she aspired to become a professional actor, and as soon as she graduated from college, she moved on to pursue her dream.

Shoshannah Stern is American Actress and she appeared on ABC’s Threat Matrix, and had a recurring role in Showtime’s Weeds. She was also on ER, Providence, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Cold Case. She starred in the film Adventures of Power and appeared with Matthew Broderick in the film The Last Shot. Her most recent role was that of the character Bonnie Richmond in the CBS post-apocalyptic drama Jericho. Stern also appeared on the popular music video “Yes We Can”, written by will.i.am for the Barack Obama campaign.

Louis Frisino is Deaf Commercial Creative Artist.

Deaf since birth in 1934, Frisino grew up with a love for art. He attended the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick, Md, until his graduation in 1953. After graduation, he attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. From there, he went on to work as a commercial artist at the News American and also made his reputation in the Deaf community. He won many awards for his ducks, waterfowl, salmon, and trout stamps from 1970 to 1990.

Louis Frisino works from photographs on special orders to capture the uniqueness of a personal pet. He is retired from the News American, where he was employed as a commercial artist for 25 years. He is now a full time artist at home with his wife Elaine, and the youngest of their three children. A sketch of Louis Frisino’s life is included in Deaf Heritage: A Narrative History of Deaf America.