Genesis Preparatory Academy: Amari Ubert remains diligent in studies despite hearing challenges

Amari Ubert often sat in the front of classes at Genesis Preparatory Academy. While teachers knew about her partial deafness, most classmates didn’t.

Starting in early childhood, Ubert had chronic ear infections and a development issue in both ear canals. She needed hearing aids by seventh grade.

At Genesis, when she couldn’t hear part of assignments or lessons, she would follow up with her teachers. She worked hard, landing at the top of her class and taking dual credit classes at North Idaho College.

Genesis teacher Brooke Hinkens finds her determination impressive.

“Something that really just amazes me about Amari is through any setbacks or challenges that she has, like her hearing, she doesn’t let that stop her at all,” Hinkens said.

“She just works extremely hard in general.”

Ubert and her family moved about five years ago from Minnesota to Post Falls. She seldom talked about her hearing issues, especially at first.

“I was always very self-conscious about it,” she said. “I told my close friends after about a year of knowing them, and they immediately jumped to support me.”

Some counseling here helped.

“The counseling really helped me to realize that I am perfect the way I am, and it is perfectly fine for me to have these issues,” Ubert said. “It shouldn’t be something negative in my life.

“I started being a little bit more open about it, but a lot of my classmates still don’t know.”

A Starbucks job also made her realize that many people are supportive. Supervisors and coworkers responded positively, helping her understand orders, if needed.

Since about age 4, Ubert had gone to doctors because of ear and hearing issues. She’s had seven sets of ear tubes.

After noticing swelling in her neck, she was diagnosed with a toxic lymph node. Before age 10, she had surgery to remove that noncancerous node.

But ear issues continued until recently. In January 2025, a Spokane specialist used a bit of outside ear cartilage to reform her left eardrum. With that, she’s regained about 30% hearing on that side.

A late spring follow-up appointment will determine any needs for her other ear, she said. She also had gone for a bit without hearing aids during the transition.

For the future, Ubert plans to stay at Starbucks and use its employee benefit to pay for two years of online school at Arizona State for a bachelor’s degree in ocean futures. The subject studies solutions, such as coral reef preservation.

After that, Ubert wants to go to law school at Liberty University to become a prosecutor.

While job shadowing a prosecutor in the Kootenai County Courthouse, she met attorneys who urged her to get an undergraduate degree unrelated to law.

They advised that when people get into law school, they either love it or hate it.

“If they hate it, they don’t have anything to fall back on,” Ubert said. “Previously, before wanting to be a lawyer, I wanted to be a marine biologist, so I thought, why not pursue both?”