A little background

So....I'm not really the journaling type but several people have asked to be updated on my adventures in Salt Lake City. I figured a blog is the best way to do that so whoever wants to read about it can without having me flood their inbox with messages.

First I'd like to explain the program I'm doing and why I would consider moving 2000 miles away from my family for 14 weeks. As you probably know, I graduated from Central Piedmont Community College in 2009 with an associate's degree in American Sign Language Interpreting and have been doing freelance work for the past year. As with most professions, there are certifications involved. Without certification, I cannot work in settings like medical offices and businesses. Essentially the four years of school I recently finished would be of little use to me professionally without certification. Generally there is a five year window to obtain national certification. I, however, do not have the luxury of that much time. New laws take effect in June 2012 which require a bachelor's degree in order to sit for the National Interpreter Certification. Since I don't have a bachelor's, I need to obtain certification within the next two years. At present, I do not think I will meet that deadline unless something drastic happens to help further develop my skills.

Enter residency program....This program is designed for students who have graduated from interpreting programs but aren't yet certified. It is a 14 week intensive program that involves classes, internships, mentoring, and social activities with deaf individuals. The last week of the program we will take the certification test. I believe that this is the catalyst needed to help me achieve my goal of certification!! : )

I am extremely excited and absolutely certain this is what I should be doing. I'll share more about that in a future post. But for now, I hope this explains the urgency I feel and the reason I would do something so drastic. If you have questions, please post them and I'll answer them. Even if you don't have questions, post something so I know someone's reading this! ;P