Everywhere you look, you see people in need of a Sign Language interpreter. I go to Johns Hopkins for Dental work every month and my Orthodontist is always talking about how in need the hospital and other hospitals are for Sign Language interpreters. I want to be that interpreter to help and support the Deaf people who come in for check ups and the more serious appointments like surgery scheduling and pre-op evaluations. Since I was younger I’ve always wanted a job where I get to support others and make them feel included and appreciated and I believe heavily that I will get that from interpreting American Sign Language. I learned bits of the language when I was 6 years old, I had met my first Deaf person and her son who was hearing was helping me to understand what his mom was trying to say to me through Sign Language. From then on, I learned Sign Language in high school and grew to love the language even when I was able to use what I learned in class at my first Deaf event which was a Panera Bread Deaf dinner. Every 3rd Friday of every month, a group of Deaf people meet and chat and others are welcome to join too, but they have to know language. I remember being so nervous and rethinking going, but as soon as I got there and saw a women sign to me, asking if I was there for the dinner, and then I felt completely at ease. While not every Deaf group is always so welcoming because people who can hear are called “HEARIES” in the Deaf Community, but when you show you understand the culture and are there as an ally, the Deaf community is a lot more welcoming. I felt so warm and welcomed at this dinner and signed more than I thought I would because it flowed as well as if I was talking and the people there wanted to know all about my life and where I learned to sign and I just felt so happy to be there and learning about the other’s stories too. One of the people there had become Deaf and taught herself to sign when she was only 4 years old. Her parents tried to mainstream her into hearing schools, but when she refused to speak and would only sign, they kicked her out of school, but that didn’t stop her and she has gone on to be a manager at an expensive company. Deaf people are just like those that hear, we just experience the world a little differently and there’s nothing wrong with that. I look forward every day to becoming more and more involved with American Sign Language, the Deaf Community, and Deaf Culture and using my knowledge and experiences to assist, support, and be an ally to all who identify as Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.