For Kallyn Long, a 16-year-old junior at Bishop England High School and parishioner of St. Clare of Assisi Church on Daniel Island, adversity and God’s subsequent presence have been a theme throughout her life. Her birth mother was just 16 years old when she was pregnant with Kallyn.

Kallyn’s mom, Kerri Long, talked about the moment she got the call from the birth mother to adopt Kallyn, who was just 24 weeks in utero.

“On Father’s Day, her birth mother called to tell us she had chosen our family, a moment we will treasure forever,” Kerri said, describing it as nothing short of “God-ordained.”

At a young age, Kallyn showed promise in all that she did. Kerri said she felt that Kallyn had an “old soul,” even as a baby. 

Someone suggested that Kallyn participate in beauty pageants, and so she started at around age 12.

“I love the connections I made through pageants as well as the opportunities I have had to give back to others,” Kallyn said. “The girls I have met through pageants will always play a massive role in why I suggest pageants to other young girls.”

The rollercoaster ride

Pageants encourage contestants to embrace a platform, and at first, Kallyn spoke about being adopted. However, her platform changed when she lost hearing in her left ear. After a choir trip to an amusement park in seventh grade, an innocent roller coaster ride triggered a condition she didn’t know she had.

Doctors discovered that Kallyn has an enlarged vestibular aqueduct, and the G-force from the ride spurred a sudden hearing loss, leaving her legally deaf in her left ear. She later learned her right ear has the same condition.

Kallyn received a cochlear implant at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She had to learn to hear acoustically and electronically, a journey that “strengthened her character and revealed her calling,” Kerri said.

Kallyn’s platform in pageantry changed to show that there is ability in every disability. Telling her story to others has changed Kallyn in a way she never thought possible.

“I have found that the feeling of giving is 10 times better than the feeling of receiving without fail,” she said. 

Kallyn said she looks at her adversity as a special card God put in her deck.

“I looked at my cards in eighth grade and realized I could be the person I needed when I first lost my hearing. Anyone can make a change, but first you have to change how you look at your deck,” she said.

A platform for ability

Along with her pageant focus, Kallyn authored a children’s book, Cordelia and Me, that shares her message on ability in every disability. She founded Crowning Cordelia, a pageant experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing girls that creates a space where confidence, inclusion and joy can shine. 

The teen also volunteers with Ronald McDonald House and Lowcountry Orphan Relief, and with Camp Cole’s Camp Wonder Hands for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. She reads her book to campers and students while inspiring them through her story. Kallyn participates in MUSC’s Camp Communication as a youth correspondent at events and radiothons, including MUSC’s 2025 record-breaking event, where songs inspired by her life helped raise critical funds.

Kallyn also shares her story at school assemblies, where she reads her book and gives her testimony to encourage students to embrace their abilities and serve others. She sings the National Anthem at professional sporting events, including the Charleston RiverDogs and South Carolina Stingrays, and this spring, she sang at the Credit One Open tennis tournament.

In addition to her advocacy, Kallyn excels academically, participates in theater and dance, and competes in track and field at Bishop England. 

Still facing obstacles

Most recently, Kallyn faced significant obstacles securing accommodation for the SATs due to her hearing loss. Even with the full support of her high school, she was denied hearing accommodation twice by the College Board. She was approved on the third attempt after extensive medical documentation and personal advocacy. 

The experience ignited a passion to help other students who are facing similar challenges. She traveled to Washington, D.C., where she met the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s team and representatives from Gallaudet University, a private federally chartered university for people with deafness or hearing loss.

“They were amazing, invited us back and are helping champion the bill that would provide automatic accommodations for students with single-sided deafness nationwide,” Kerri said. 

She added that the family also plans to meet with Sen. Tim Scott, who serves on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. They hope “to gain his support for this important legislation.”

Kallyn intends to major in political science in college. She wants to advocate for and help people. 

“I hope to continue speaking up for those who feel like they don’t have a voice. I don’t know in what way yet, but I hope to use my cards in the way God intended me to use them and help change the world for the greater good,” she said.