What is Your Story? [INTERPRETER]

Think about your journey to becoming an American Sign Language Interpreter. We are routinely asked HOW we learned sign language or WHY we became an interpreter, but we are not asked WHO helped us get there. Consider now the people who taught you, both in and out of the classroom, the people who encouraged you, the people who corrected you, and the people who cheered you on.

Mentorship intertwines the interpreting community, creating connections between people both in the Deaf and hearing community who are then connected to others who are further connected to others, who are likely connected to the first person! These supportive relationships, whether formal mentorships, friendships, or brief interactions, weave us all together much like the tree roots in a forest.

If you have had the privilege to work with a formal mentor in the past, think about what they have done that was effective and what was ineffective. What will you bring to your own practice as a mentor? What will you deliberately leave behind?

Submit: My Story – write a brief note about who mentored and taught you as you worked to get to where you are today. You may write this is a narrative format or bullet points/list.