INTERPRETING BIOGRAPHY

I am an American Sign Language Interpreter in the state of Ohio. I graduated from Cincinnati

State Technical and Community College in the Spring of 2019 with an Associate of Arts in Sign Language Interpreting, as well as a license in Educational Interpreting. Growing up I had no exposure to American Sign Language and Deaf Culture. In 2015, my family adopted a Deaf child from China. Knowing beforehand that we were going to adopt this little girl, my family would rent videos from the library, take classes, and attended deaf immersions in preparation for my sister's arrival. Our goal was to be able to best develop a relationship with my sister through her primary language, sign language. Through interacting with the Deaf community as well as being homeschooled alongside my sister, I have seen the struggles that Deaf individuals of all ages face in a world that is oriented around the ability to hear. I have witnessed the challenges that my sister faces everyday, and the cultural stigma that is associated with the Deaf, especially Deaf children in an education system. Being able to walk alongside my sister in her journey and see her grow has inspired me to want to walk alongside other Deaf children and help them succeed. My goal is to work in the education system for Deaf children and Deaf young adults. I hope to enable the next Deaf generation to thrive as they prepare for adulthood and college. I wish to help break down the cultural barriers to reinforce to the hearing world that Deaf does not mean disabled.

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