Caitlin Lysogorski is a senior ASL Interpreting Major, President of the Commuter Student Organization, and a student mentor on the signify board. And as of recently, she served as an interpreter for the rock artist Joan Jett at one of her concerts.

When asked why she chose ASL as a major, she had this to say about it: “I chose ASL in high school. I always knew I loved ASL. It’s a beautiful language and deaf culture is really rich, but so few colleges offer it as a major. I stumbled upon Bloomsburg [University]’s interpreting program and learned that it was even a major and even a job. So, I researched more about that and fell in love with it.” 

She feels lucky to be a part of their culture and finds her degree and line of work to be meaningful. She thinks that greater instruction in the language should be taught more in the real world and pique students’ interest in experiencing it from their perspective. She believed that coming to Bloomsburg and seriously pursuing this major was fate, and that she was fortunate to be a part of it.

As stated, she was granted the opportunity through the university to interpret for Joan Jett. This amazing experience took place when Joan Jett performed recently in the 167th Annual Bloomsburg Fair.

 It is required for the ASLmajor that two shows be completed. As for granted this opportunity, Caitlin and another student had their names drawn from a hat. Her reasoning for wanting to be a part of the concert was that her mother grew up listening to Joan Jett. She exclaimed, “I truly couldn’t believe I did that as a student.” The two ASL students were thus given the chance to interpret alongside one another; behind the scenes, they had a trained mentor, but as isn’t certified yet. Without the Bloomsburg University interpreting program, she would never have had this amazing experience.

Following graduation, she hopes to obtain a certification. With plans to work as an interpreter in the legal or medical fields, and now that she has done this, the music industry is also on her radar. Even now, she’s considering pursuing a master’s degree. Lysogorski advises to pursue anASL class and that, “you really want to have to pursue it,” and that while it is really stressful it is also quite rewarding. With this, we recognize the tremendous work of Caitlin, a proud student with a true love for her major and the culture that is so rich within.