Recent graduate appears on television game show

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Malia Ferry (Milford, Ohio/Milford), a recent Defiance College graduate and student-athlete over the past four years, recently appeared on "Let's Make a Deal," a CBS television game show filmed in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. Ferry was one of the contestants featured in the May 20, 2020 episode.

According to its website, LMAD is a program where, "Audience members dress up in outlandish costumes to get host Wayne Brady's attention in an attempt to make deals for trips, prizes, cars or cash, while trying to avoid the dreaded Zonks." The show first aired on NBC in 1963, moved to ABC in 1968 and was revived by CBS in 2009.

"We went to L.A. for my 21^st birthday, so my mom got me tickets to go see the show," Ferry said. "We were there for about two weeks."

During her visit to the center of the nation's film and television industry last July, Ferry, her mother and a friend also saw "The Masked Singer" and visited Disneyland. But, certainly one highlight of the trip was the taping of LMAD.

"The show was a lot of fun," Ferry said. "We got there fairly early because I think we were the first taping of the day. When you get there, you sign a whole bunch of paperwork and then they interview everyone. The theme of the show was talent, so all the people who were picked had some sort of talent. We actually learned that a lot of people there were told by their agents to go, so some of them were actual professionals. We just happened to go for fun."

Ferry, her mom and friend rented costumes from LMAD.

"My friend was a lion, I was like 1920s flapper-girl type thing and then I think my mom was a catfish," Ferry said.

Toward the middle of the taping, Ferry was one of the lucky attendees to be called up by Brady, and she made good deals. After showing off her tumbling skills, Ferry and a gentlemen named Christopher, dressed as a doctor, were each given $1,000. Working together and then making individual decisions, she and Christopher each came away with a high-tech music studio and an all-terrain vehicle, together valued at more than $7,000.

"I did get to make a deal and it was a lot of fun," Ferry said. "Wayne Brady is amazing. Everything he says I think he was pretty much improvising. They (Brady and other cast members Jonathan Mangum and Tiffany Coyne) were all hilarious and then at the very end I got to hug Wayne Brady, but I don't know if that part will be seen."

No, her hug with Brady did not make the final cut, as Ferry found out when viewing the edited, televised May 20 episode for the first time on Wednesday.

"It was great! It was very exciting to watch and see everyone's reactions," she said. "I had lots of friends and family contact me about the show. It was almost as fun as being there."

Just hearing her name and having the opportunity to be a part of a deal was just about as exciting as making the deal or watching the show, Ferry explained.

"Beforehand, he (Brady) actually said something like, 'I hear we have a gymnast or something in the audience,' along those lines, and I used to do tumbling so that's what I told them my talent was," Ferry said. "So, I of course got really excited and so did my mom. We started jumping up and down, and then he actually called my name and I ran down really quick. It was just unbelievable. It's one of those things that I grew up watching and I couldn't believe that now I was part of it."

Ferry earned her Bachelor of Science in early childhood education/intervention specialist with summa cum laude honors from DC on May 9. During her stay at Defiance, she established herself as a phenomenal student, versatile athlete and campus leader.

Recently in the presentation of the Yellow Jackets' annual Swarm Awards, Ferry was named the winner of the AAUW Scholar-Athlete Award as the female student-athlete with the highest grade-point average. She finished with a 3.99 GPA.

A four-year member of both the DC women's soccer and track and field teams, Ferry used her talent as a defender and runner, respectively. On the soccer field, she started 59 matches in her career, including all 37 the past two seasons. In track, she competed in several events – both indoors and outdoors – including sprints, runs and relays.   

As a student-athlete, Ferry was chosen to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tom Bohlsen All-Academic Team nine times over her career, including three each in soccer, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. In 2019, she was selected to the HCAC All-Sportsmanship Team for fall sports, representing the Defiance women's soccer squad; picked to take part in the NCAA Career in Sports Forum last spring; and named the recipient of DC's Herbert S. Beane Scholarship.

Active in helping others, Ferry was a McMaster Scholar who twice traveled to Belize as a part of Defiance's Service Leadership Program. She was also involved in other service activities as an undergraduate.   

"I loved my time at Defiance," Ferry said. "It allowed me the opportunity to do both athletics and academics. The people there are what really make the college. I love that area, all the professors and staff."

Looking ahead, Ferry is focused on acquiring a good position as a teacher.

"I'm hoping to find a job teaching," Ferry said. "With my licensure, I'll be able to do kindergarten through fifth grade as a general education teacher, and K through 12 as an intervention specialist."

With her experience, knowledge and love of sports, Ferry was asked if she also had any interest in coaching.

"Definitely," Ferry said. "But I want to take the first couple years to really focus on teaching before I start adding more to my plate."

No one can blame Ferry for lessening her load now, especially after all she accomplished and experienced at DC the last four years. Wherever she lands in the future, there is little doubt Ferry will succeed as a teacher, coach, or in whatever she wants to do.