Theo Valles

Hometown: Surfside, Florida

School: Ransom Everglades High School

Theo Valles is from Miami, Florida, where he was born to Argentine and Mexican parents. He is trilingual, speaking Spanish, English, and French fluently. At school, Theo is a member of the crew and water polo teams, and is a varsity coach for the congressional speech and debate team. Having hearing loss, Theo recognizes the need for better services and resources for those who are hard of hearing.Every year, he travels to Tallahassee, Florida to speak and meet with senators and representatives to advocate for laws and funds to help deaf individuals across Florida get the resources they need to succeed and lead happy lives. In 2023, Theo was appointed Cochlear Foundation National Ambassador for the United States and was invited to London, U.K. to meet with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai to work on strategies to advocate for deaf and hard of hearing communities globally. Theo believes in the importance of using his skills and passions as tools to create positive change.