Welcome to Alanna Kilroy’s personal blog! She is an avid traveler, hiker, and rock climber, who likes to share her experiences, thoughts, advice, and travel adventures. Oh, and she is profoundly deaf! She wears two cochlear implants, and she deafinitely thrives on connecting with people from all over the world, spreading positivity, and leading a no barriers life. Follow her on Instagram at deafinitelythriving!
Wow, has it really been over a year since I last blogged? Time is flying by, especially my college years! I am now in my second semester of Junior year, and I still have no concrete idea of what I want to do with my life. Between now and October 2015, which was when I … More Life Update
This past August, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Peru with thirteen other deaf teens/young adults through the No Barriers Youth Program. We spent eight days shuttling to various historic sites and visiting with two deaf schools and an orphanage. Our group was lucky enough to be guided around Peru by a lovely … More Peru Trip with No Barriers Youth
In honor of Flashback Friday, I’d like to share a little flashback story. In March 2015, I went to visit my grandparents in sunny, warm Florida to escape Boston’s below freezing temperatures for Spring Break. The trip was filled with relaxing days reading by the pool or the beach, and nights out to dinner at … More Wheelchair Greetings
Wow, it’s been a week since I officially completed my first year at Boston University. Finals week was so stressful and emotionally draining that I’ve spent the past week recovering by sleeping, binge watching Private Practice on Netflix, and catching up with family. Freshman year was one hell of a year, full of ups and … More Growth
Last Wednesday, I had the amazing opportunity to share my experience with cochlear implants with a Northeastern University graduate audiology class. One of my friends, Nicole Pendleton, had reached out to deaf CI-user friends on Facebook asking for volunteers willing to share their personal stories to a bunch of students studying to become audiologists. Jessica … More Sharing Experiences with NEU Audiology Students
****I recently did a personal narrative for one of my classes about my journey getting a second cochlear implant. I know I did an earlier blog about it, but this one is much less technical and to the point. It really tells the story from a more emotional perspective.**** Nonstop Pain: A Rapid Descent to … More Personal Narrative
One down, thirteen more to ago. The first week of spring semester was a whirlwind, and it feels like it was only yesterday that I was waking up for my very first 8am! I’m definitely not a morning person, so I was absolutely dreading having to get up so early. Yes, 8am is early. Don’t … More First Week of Spring Semester
Earlier in the school year, someone I had just met told me, “being deaf must suck”. I’ll admit I was initially taken aback by her comment because truthfully, no one had ever actually said that to my face before. Nonetheless, I quickly gathered my thoughts, and simply told her, “No, it actually doesn’t”-mostly out of … More The Perks of Being Deaf
When I first heard that Taylor Schilling would be starring in the off Broadway play, A Month in the Country, I thought, “Oh my god. I have to see it. It’s in New York City. Four hours away from me. And they’re playing shows during my winter break! Perfect.” I became a huge fan of … More The Beauty of Small Theaters: My Experience Seeing A Month in the Country
Deafinitely Thriving 