About

My Mission

I know I have lots to learn. Based on my present knowledge, my mission is to become a BEI certified interpreter, and work in Indiana and Michigan. I want to follow current best practices and engage in conversations that question those practices so I’m always growing along with up-to-date research. Still, interpreting is a human experience, meaning I want to prove myself trustworthy, empathetic, and dependable to all interpreting participants.

My History

In 2003 at age 18 I entered college with the ambition to be a music performance major on violin. Finding I didn’t have the personality for it and wanting to be flexible, I switched to a creative writing program. There, I learned the importance of telling stories, whether in an effort to connect or entertain.

Because The Recession was challenging to navigate as a college grad with an English degree, I kept on with my education by first earning a Master’s in Literature and Creative Writing at Central Michigan University and then heading to University of Notre Dame’s MFA fiction writing program.

There, I met students from around the globe and worked to engage with new cultures. While it was a challenge, coming to appreciate and radically accept each person I met became a life-long goal. During the following decade I worked as an adjunct professor and stuck to my goal, trying to honor students of different nationalities, races, genders, abilities, and cultures..

In my twenties, I realized I was hard of hearing, and tests confirmed it. I began using hearing aids, which led me to ask, “Should I learn ASL just in case?” It took many years, but in 2020 I signed up for my first ASL class online and realized I shouldn’t learn ASL “just in case.” Not only could I connect to the richness of Deaf culture and the Deaf community, but my natural tendencies toward creativity and storytelling are embodied in ASL. Eventually, I enrolled at Bethel University, seeking a degree as an ASL Interpretation major. As an adult student, returning to the classroom requires adaptability, especially working with students half my age and a professor whose role I used to have! It’s an adventure that has me forward thinking in a positive way, and I’m so excited.