Internship Site I

Salt Lake Community College

For my first 8-weeks of my internship, I got accepted to Salt Lake Community
College. It has been quite the experience because I always thought that higher
education would be the toughest placement and I would deal with snooty college
kids who dont care. My experience now 4-weeks in has been incredible and quite
the opposite. Higher education has actually been quite easy thanks to the Deaf
students I got. My students are very independent and know how to use an
interpreter and interact with their hearing peers. I also have been blessed with three
amazing mentors, Rhonda, Jim, and Amber who guide me when I am in the hot
seat and also provide me with detailed constructive feedback.
I have learned so much during my time at Salt Lake Community College and I
know I will carry my knowledge and experience when I become an interpreter. I
have learned that I need to really work on my processing and waiting to see where
the teacher is going in the lecture, to visualize the bigger picture so it is not just
word-for-word but 3D in a sense, to give myself positive feedback and to never
doubt myself as an interpreter just because I messed up a few times, and preparing
myself mentally for a long class; knowing that I will be in the hot seat for a good
30-50 minutes.
Some of the goals that I have accomplished thus far consist of: passing all my
fall 2015 classes, applying and getting accepted into two internship sites (SLCC and
Jordan School District), starting my internships January 11 th, meeting with Patricia
Lowery (PML) for a mentorship session 2-3 times a month and applying for USU for
the fall of 2016 to complete by Bachelors Degree in Interpreting. I do have more

goals to reach before I complete my internships which include: taking the novice
certification mock exam, taking the actual novice certification exam and passing,
and getting a job in an educational setting. My goal is that I will continue to set
goals for myself as an interpreter and that I will be able to reach those goals with
help from colleagues, mentors, and the Deaf community.