We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heba Toulan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Heba, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
When I moved to America with my family at age 2 after they found out I was born with a disability. On the first day of school, my mom told me as soon as I said goodbye to her, I turned and walked away without looking back. I think my curiosity and my drive to learn new things really led to my confidence and self-esteem. I apply the philosophy of equestrian sports and competitive figure skating to this journey; if you fail, try again. (in figure skating, if you fall, get up and do it again differently.)
So this thinking really pushes me to do better if things don’t go my way, or when I get a rejection. On another hand, I found out by surrounding yourself with multiple projects really boosts self-esteem because a rejection seems minimal when you have something else to look forward to.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Heba Toulan, and I am an actor/model. My works in film include: Deaf Missions’ JESUS (on Prime), The Window Washer, SENSES, Reverse, and many more; my credits in theater include: The Laramie Project, COMPANY, RENT, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and more.
I’m Deaf and I aim to bridge the gap between people with disabilities and fashion/acting. When I see a performance without diversity, it appears as unbelievable because people with disabilities have been around for centuries and I don’t agree with putting them aside or casting them as supporting roles. They should be in the front and center, and bring nuances to their characters. Characters should have layers.
I love doing fashion and acting because it’s like storytelling. Every project I work on tells a story and I hope to be able to do this for a long time.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Persistence
2. Self-worth: Value yourself enough to filter what is coming at you.
3. Willingness and ability to listen: listen to my own needs and to feedback (as long as they are constructive criticism) on what they need from you to make a project successful
All above has been impactful in my journey. My advice is to find what works best for you; this list may change as time goes on which is normal. Figure out what works at this point then re-evaluate what works for you in the next chapter of your journey.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
When my mother found out I was deaf at 16 months old, she decided that we would move to the U.S. so I could go to a Deaf school with an immersion in American Sign Language (ASL). In a culture where everybody think that it is best to “fix” rather than actually understands what a person with a disability requires to grow as a self-sufficient individual.
Her family pleaded her to stay but she was determined that her daughter would go to a school where ASL is used on a daily basis. It was very uncommon for hearing parents to move to a country for education for their own children, let alone learn ASL!
But this gave me an abundance of skills to become a well-rounded person, and this also gave me an identity. I don’t think I would be as successful and self-sufficient if I stayed behind. That action alone had a domino effect to where I am today, and it is still as impactful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hebatoulan.com
- Instagram: @hebatoulan
Image Credits
Valentina Lee Photography
Ash Demain Photography
Gary Hufham Photography
Kerri Clark
Jordy Toscano Photography
Huu Duc Photography
Whitney Edmundson
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
