Goals & Mission Statement

Mission Statement

I am an interpreter who is principled, trustworthy, and filled with integrity. I believe strongly that my character is defined by what I do when no one is watching and I value following the rules and what has been asked of me. I have a strong sense of right and wrong. Consumers, my colleagues, and employers can trust me to put their interests before my own and be true to what is right. I feel the weight of responsibility and trust placed in me. I believe the Code of Professional Conduct benefits and safeguards both me and Deaf and non-deaf consumers and I use it as a guide for my decisions.

I highly value hard work and growth. I am a determined person and seek to improve myself. Continued education and training, as well as openness to feedback, are essential to improving the product I deliver to consumers and fulfilling my duty of competence. I will never give up and I will seek to continually improve.

I deeply believe in the dignity and rights of all people. I strive to be kind, open-minded, and respectful of all. I show respect to my clients, my fellow interpreters, and employers by being a team-player, positive, helpful, prompt, and trustworthy. If I receive corrections or feedback indicating an error I have made or something I could have done differently, I strive to be open and humble. Frequent self-reflection is an important part of my job.

I strive to be aware of the self-elected position of being an interpreter in the Deaf community. Humility and awareness are important as I remember my hearing privilege and seek to move from oppressor to ally. To this end, I seek to be more involved in the Deaf community with a spirit of curiosity and meekness. I believe in the bi-lingual and bi-cultural approach to interpreting. I will be flexible and open as an interpreter, so that I can best meet the needs of each client.

I am committed to being an excellent interpreter. I accomplish this as I maintain a high standard of integrity, continue to better myself through education and training, respect all those I work with and for, provide a bi-bi approach to interpreting, and strive towards fluency in two languages and cultures.

Smart Professional Development Goals

What is your short term ASL-Eng Interpreting goal?

"Improve my comprehension/accuracy of fingerspelled words when voicing from ASL-English."

Specific - I have been struggling with freezing up and/or missing fingerspelled words when voicing from ASL-English. I will work to improve my receptive accuracy of fingerspelling in real-time interpreting situations and practice situations by attempting to voice something using my best clozing skills to help overcome the habit of freezing up when I see a fingerspelled word.
Measurable - I will measure progress of this goal in a few ways. First, I will use Deaf mentoring sessions and asl.ms to practice three times a week for 30 mins each. I will also track two things throughout the block - the number of fingerspelled words I attempt to voice and by the number of fingerspelled words I voice correctly. I am aiming for 95% of the time voicing fingerspelled words and correctly voicing 8 of 10 fingerspelled words during my first eight week internship block.
Attainable - This goal is attainable because I will be participating in an interpreting internship and be exposed to fingerspelling daily, along with working with a mentor. I can also practice with recordings to improve my skills.
Relevant - This goal is relevant because it is a fundamental skill needed in ASL interpreting. Accurate reception of fingerspelling is important for message equivalence and a needed skill for my future career.
Timely - My plan for this goal is to work on it during the eight week "first block" internship. I will measure my progress daily and should see noticeable improvement at the end of eight weeks.

What is your short term Eng-ASL Interpreting goal?

"Expand my usage of classifiers and make more consistent appropriate classifier choices to match the context."

Specific - I want to work on becoming an interpreter who uses classifiers in a more masterful way to create imagery and message equivalency. My goal is to increase both the variety and contextual accuracy of classifier use when interpreting from English into ASL during live and practice interpreting work.
Measurable - I will measure progress of this goal by using at least 3–5 accurate classifiers per interpreting sample (when contextually appropriate), with improved consistency noted in mentor feedback. I will check-in with my mentor daily about my classifier usage.
Attainable - This goal is attainable because I will be participating in an internship with a mentor who can give me feedback and immediate examples in the moment of good classifier choices. It is also attainable because I am signed up to attend a six workshop series throughout 2026 on improving classifier usage with ASL Pinnacle.
Relevant - This goal is relevant because it directly applies to the work of interpreting and creating accurate, vivid interpretations that promote spatial organization, clarity, and message equivalence.
Timely - My timeline for this goal is the eight week timeline of my first internship block. I will measure my progress during this time through daily check-ins with my mentor.

5-Year Bucket List of Goals

2026

Pass the Novice Interpreting Exam and become a certified interpreter.

2027

Work as an interpreter at BYU

2028

Take and pass the Utah Professional Certification

2029

Get certified as a medical interpreter.
Take and pass the National Interpreter Certification exam and get my NIC.

2030

Work as an ASL interpreter/translator for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

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