Avery Van Der Nacht

Avery van der Nacht, a UConn commit for women's basketball and the symphony orchestra, is a dominant center who plays upright bass. Fully deaf in her right ear and reliant on a hearing aid, she also has severe selective mutism-only speaking to her sister Lena and Lena's girlfriend, Hana Muhl. Half Dutch, half Croatian, Avery grew up moving from the Netherlands to Atlanta, while keeping strong ties to both cultures. A marine biology major and music performance minor, she had full-ride offers from schools like Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UConn, Duke, U-M, MSU, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown University, and UGA, before choosing UConn. Now, as she steps into college, Avery will form an unexpected friendship with Azzi Fudd-but how does someone who barely speaks learn to be heard?