I am attending a mid-range private college, one of a few that offers a four-year degree in the area of Sign Language Interpreting. The bill, for just one semester of higher learning, is over twenty-eight thousand dollars. This is an unbelievable amount of money to me, a student earning $9.50 an hour. By working and diligently seeking scholarships and grants, I hope to have two full years of school paid off upon graduation. I will graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Sign Language Interpreting. Happiness and excitement will flow through me for accomplishing the goal I set for myself and for what my future holds; an interpreting job within the deaf community. Then, six months after graduation, ouch, I will get that first bill for my student loans. Tuition, books, room and board will have added up and be totaled on that momentous …show more content…
After taking my first American Sign Language class, I recognized I was good at something! I overcame brain surgery in the third grade, and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 7th grade, and after being told by my teacher, Mrs. Jan Thomsen, that I would make a great ASL interpreter, I graduated out of Title I classes (special Ed. for reading and comprehension) the following year. I completed ASL levels I-III and then discovered Level IV was not offered. Recognizing that abandoning ASL would cause me to lose my hard earned skills, I implored my teacher, to allow me to be her teacher’s assistant and to also start an ASL club. As president of the ASL club, I was granted the opportunity to learn more and to teach (!) other students sign language in fun and creative