Rowland Yeo, who was born deaf, dropped out of Secondary 3 to study furniture making at the VITB. A meeting with a deaf priest from the US changed his life. Fr Tom Loughlin sponsored Yeo to study philosophy in Gallaudet University in Washington. The latter went on to study theology in the US and Philippines, join the Franciscan order and will become Southeast Asia's first deaf priest when he is ordained this Saturday.