I got my first taste of interpreting in 2014 and instantly knew I had found something I loved. A deaf man started attending my church congregation and found out I had taken some ASL classes. He encouraged me to come help his friend interpret our church meetings for him. I was very nervous, but with his help I was able to start interpreting hymns and then moved on to prayers and, finally, sermons. I loved seeing the familiar messages through a different lens and finding a new perspective on beliefs I had been taught my entire life. My love and interest in sign language led me to pursue a second Bachelor's Degree to become an interpreter. As I have worked through the program, my love of the language has transformed into a love of Deaf culture and deaf people. I still believe that sign language is unique and beautiful, but it is the people and culture I truly love. One of the things I love most about Deaf culture is that they take care of each other. When a Deaf person breaks barriers, they do it for their culture. Whether they succeed in a new career, make it to the Olympics, or receive a doctorate degree, their focus and pride is on lifting their community. They are not solely focused on lifting themselves. The hearing American culture is very self-centered and too many are encouraged to leave others behind in the pursuit of their dreams. The collectivism of the Deaf culture is a breath of fresh air in comparison. Deaf culture has unfortunately come about through a lot of oppression. Historically, deaf people have been mistreated, abused and neglected. This had led them to bind together and lift each other. My church has a history full of persecution and abuse. Because of this I feel a small connection to deaf people. I have not personally experienced these violations and know that I cannot comprehend each deaf person’s experiences. I do feel a deep connection to their need for acceptance and understanding as I look back on how my great-grandparents were treated. Last year I took a course from Dr. Michael Ballard, a Deaf man and head of our Deaf Studies department at Utah Valley University. He explained that in order to become a successful interpreter we need to know our “why”. Why do we want to become an interpreter? Why do we feel it is important? I knew immediately that my “why” is two-fold. My first “why” is because every person deserves a chance to express themselves and know how others choose to express themselves. My other “why” is to become an ally to the Deaf community. I do this by teaching my four children about Deaf culture and how to sign. I teach my family about how they can respect the Deaf community and how to communicate with deaf people. I teach my friends about the rich community Deaf people have cultured among themselves. I explain that ASL is a full language with grammar, idioms, sentence structure, etc and is not simply a manual form of English. I encourage people to look past the “deaf” label and see the full person behind the deafness. Every interaction I have with the Deaf community makes me more excited to work with them. I am honored to be able to join their community in a small way and cannot wait to become certified and start working with them more.