Meet the Team

I was born with a moderate hearing loss. My parents didn't find out about it until my speech impediment prompted them to take me to an ENT specialist. I was put in special education classes for students with hearing loss, then mainstreamed in middle school. After graduating high school, I earned a 4-year degree in Arts/Graphic Design from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Now, I work as a full-time web designer.

I created this website in 2008 as a hobby because I always felt like an outsider due to my hearing loss, and I wanted to reach out to others. As time went on, I added more features—a blog, discussion forum, chat room, Facebook group, Twitter account, etc. I plan to continue expanding the website so that it can better serve the deaf and hard of hearing community.

I graduated from Capella University in 2021 with a Master's in Clinical Psychology and a specialization in Forensic Psychology. In addition to this, I also have a Bachelor's in Psychology. I was born profoundly deaf and grew up mainstreamed. I attended a deaf school for two years and graduated from a public school.

I am passionate about developing resources and writing research for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Currently, I am looking to improve my writing, editing, and research skills. I hope to publish a book in the future, as well. During my spare time, I enjoy walking around the lake and feeding swans with my little family.

As an intern, I am excited to write content for DeafandHoH. This opportunity will help me gain experience and learn more about the research that is needed for the DHH community. I hope to improve my writing skills and learn more about what makes a nonprofit organization effective.

I am a graduate of UWM with a B.A. in technical writing.

I am detail-oriented and enjoy writing and editing articles and webpages. Working at DeafandHoH is helping me strengthen these skills while gaining communication and problem-solving knowledge.
As for personal goals, I hope to one day publish a novel. Though creating a novel is full of challenges, my determination (and writing and editing skills) can make this dream possible.

My connection to the deaf and hard of hearing community stems from an American Sign Language class I took in college. My teacher was completely deaf, so his perspective taught me a lot about deaf culture, and even led me to becoming an intern here at DeafandHoH.

I am attending the University of Houston for a master’s degree in World Cultures and Literatures. My undergraduate degree is from Colorado State University (CSU) with a major in Sociology and two minors: 1) Linguistics & Culture and 2) Latin American & Caribbean studies.

My professional writing experience stems from my work at the CSU Writing Center and my internship with the CSU Community Literacy Center. I also enjoy tutoring, research, and art. My passion is connecting people across cultural and/or linguistic boundaries. Specifically, I co-chaired the Global Ambassadors Student Program (GASP), which raised cultural awareness through presentations in local schools and community centers.

I joined DeafandHoH to reconnect with and invest in the deaf community. I taught myself some American Sign Language (ASL) while in high school because we had mainstreamed deaf students. During my undergraduate studies, I was also involved in the ASL club. The most memorable connection I had was with a deaf Korean woman who taught me some Korean Sign Language (KSL) and gave me my name sign. However, I lost touch with the community after graduating and then moving. Therefore, I see this as a great opportunity to refresh and deepen my knowledge, as well as empower the hearing loss community.

I graduated from Portland State University in 2016 with a B.A. in German. A language enthusiast with a background in editing, translation, and education, I knew my technical and creative passions would have a place in the field of web development and design. In 2019 I earned the Web Assistant II certificate at Portland Community College, culminating in my internship at DeafandHoH.com.

By implementing designs and features for the DeafandHoH website, I’ve expanded my technical knowledge, particularly of PHP and WordPress. Through researching and updating site content, I’ve learned a good deal about deaf culture, and I’m pleased to help develop a platform and resource for the deaf and hard of hearing community.

I received an associate degree in general studies from Utah State University in 2004. After seventeen years of being a wife and mom to four kids, I started taking online courses from BYU-Idaho and am currently a senior majoring in Web Design and Development with an emphasis in design. Since I started my bachelor's degree, I have taken multiple courses for design (multi-media, graphic, user interface, social media design) as well as courses for front-end and back-end web development skills including the basics of PHP, JAVA, and JavaScript languages.

As an intern, I'm gaining real-life experience working within a design team and learn skills and techniques to help me become a better web designer. I'm also becoming more knowledgeable about the deaf and hard of hearing community.

I enjoy spending time with my family, watching movies, reading, taking pictures, and watching my kids' soccer games and performances. I'm also working on a website for my sister's small business.

I am excited to help the members of the deaf and hard of hearing community connect, support, and lift one another up.

I recently graduated from Austin Community College with an associate degree in Graphic Design. I had been out of school for a long time before I decided to go back to college.
My interest in Graphic Design started while working in a print shop. After learning the bare minimum there, I wanted to pursue it more. My love for drawing and creating is a good fit for it.
I do not have any personal experience with DeafandHoH, but I am excited to use the skills I have learned in college in a meaningful way. I also hope to learn how to use the software I was not taught in school to help build up my strengths in design.