ANNAPOLIS, Md. — After “smizing” his way to win “America’s Next Top Model” and grabbing the big prize in “Dancing with the Stars,” Frederick-raised Nyle DiMarco received another honor, this time from the governor of Maryland.
Gov. Larry Hogan presented Nyle DiMarco with an official Governor’s Citation for his accomplishments Wednesday in Annapolis.
DiMarco, who is deaf, graduated from the Maryland School for the Deaf and Gallaudet University, and won both reality shows within just five months of each other.
He says after his dual reality show wins, he felt like he needed to do more, so he established the Nyle DiMarco Foundation with the mission to make the world a better place for the deaf and hard of hearing.
The nonprofit is also involved in a campaign promoting the need to teach deaf children both American Sign Language and English.
“Early language acquisition means a lifetime of success. I’m walking proof of that,” DiMarco said at the ceremony through an interpreter.
Hogan added, “Nyle has made it his mission to help deaf children become confident and independent in a hearing world, because, as Nyle puts it, ‘every child deserves love and language.'”
