Andie Aviv is an award-winning photographer and high school senior who lives in Los Angeles

When we look at an iceberg, the portion that’s visible is only a small piece of the larger whole—there’s a huge, invisible body beneath the water that most people never see. Hear My Story, which chronicles my portraits and conversations with seemingly ordinary people, is my attempt to delve beneath the surface—to make visible the beauty that people hold (and hide) within themselves. 

I was born completely deaf, a disability my parents discovered when I was 7-months-old. Suddenly, they were faced with a decision: their daughter could live a life oblivious to sound, or she could be one of the first babies to undergo cochlear implant surgery, a revolutionary yet risky procedure. The surgery was a success—I can now hear the crash of waves, the strings upon a violin, even a ticking clock. However, very few people know that I experience the world differently; instead, they see a girl who rides horses, studies hard, laughs a lot, and loves meeting new people. From this, I have learned a great deal about the things we’re all concealing, the things we don’t necessarily know about one another just from looking at the surface. 

Indeed, as a deaf person with assistive hearing, living in a hearing world, I am well aware of the myths and stereotypes that dominate our public discourse and influence so much of what we think and feel. With Hear My Story, I hope to shine a light on many of these false assumptions while also spreading awareness of the importance of listening to other people. My subjects have been marginalized for everything from race to gender identity to socioeconomic status to age; by photographing and interviewing them, I seek to elevate their stories and give them an opportunity to share a new part of themselves, one they wouldn’t necessarily have a chance to reveal and yet is central to understanding who they are.

In particular, Hear My Story bears witness to the individuality, creativity, resilience, courage, compassion, and optimism of two groups that have made an unforgettable impact on my life. First, the teenagers I’ve gotten to know through volunteering at My Friend’s Place, an organization that helps young homeless people to pursue their goals. Being homeless is always an extraordinary challenge, but as I’ve learned from hearing my subjects’ stories, it became even more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, the senior citizens I’ve met at Belmont Living Senior Village, my grandfather’s assisted care facility, who have also found themselves increasingly isolated during Covid and love to share the adventure and curiosity of their younger years.

We have all felt “less than” at some point, particularly in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven, high-expectations world. But all people have something that defines them that they keep below the surface, and we are all more than the sum of our current situation or past experiences. Hear My Story is the next step in my journey of becoming a better listener and storyteller, and I hope to spread empathy and compassion by uplifting the faces and voices of those whom our society often overlooks. 

Thank you for visiting—I would be grateful if you follow along and share.