Cox receives Georgia Department of Transportation Scholarship

Brooke Cox, a junior majoring in communication sciences, has received the 2014 Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Scholarship Award.

Cox, of Marietta, won the competitive award, available only for children of GDOT employees. Cox's father is a civil engineer for GDOT. Her mother is a medical coder for Emory Adventist Hospital.

But there's another twist to the story—both of her parents are deaf.

"Growing up with deaf parents was as normal as could be. My parents rarely relied on my brother and me for communication help," said Cox. "They both received speech therapy during their childhood so they both have great speech which has been very helpful throughout their lives and careers. Both of them have cochlear implants now."

In fact, her parents were a big reason why she decided to go into communication sciences."I knew that I wanted to do something that involved helping people, especially children. I saw firsthand how much speech therapy made a difference in my parents' lives, so this career seemed like the perfect fit for me," she said.

The scholarship provides $1,000 in funding for Cox and she can apply for it again next year.

Cox hopes to graduate with a bachelor's degree in communication sciences in May 2015. After that, she plans to pursue a master's in speech language pathology. Ultimately, Cox would like to work with children, specifically in a medical or private practice setting.