The Bloomsburg Interpreter Club is a club on campus that is dedicated to improving the confidence of students studying American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting in their signing abilities. They hold biweekly meetings to help students practice signing and become more comfortable with it, as well as host events that allow interpreting students and the deaf community to enjoy fellowship together.

Jill Graham, a sophomore ASL interpreting major and the public relations chair of the club, describes the club by saying, “We are all very supportive of each other, trying to lift each other up.” The president of the club, Lauren Waits, a senior ASL interpreting major, says she hopes students leave each club meeting “feeling more empowered to be successful.”

Waits’ hope for the future of the club is that it continues “to uplift students and help them build confidence in themselves.” She hopes that the club doesn’t dwindle but instead grows so more people can be a part of the community. Graham hopes that the future of the club will include “still hosting these events, still getting the deaf community to get together, along with us, and just be able to like chat and make those connections.”

Meeting information

Anyone who is an ASL interpreting major is welcome to join the club and meetings are biweekly on Thursdays at 5:15 in Navy Room 207. The next meeting will be held on September 26th.

A typical meeting usually involves some discussions of skills and signs that students might need help with. A meeting might also include some games and signing activities, along with hand exercises to help students sign better in general. Waits explains that all the activities they do are to prepare them for their future careers and provide them the skills they need to succeed after graduation.

Why Bloomsburg Interpreters?

Graham explained that the ASL interpreting major is very competitive and rigorous in nature. Given this, she believes that this club is important as it provides students with support and encouragement, along with the time to practice and prepare their skills, all of which help students succeed in the major. Waits hopes students in this club, and the major overall, know “you are supported, you have a team, you have a network, we are all here for each other.”

Both executive board members joined this club initially as they believed it was important to them reaching their full potential in the major/career. Graham enjoys the connections and friendships the club has allowed her to make, along with the resources and practice opportunities it has provided her. Waits agreed and also explained that joining the club helped her love the major and signing even more, as well as  “exposed [her] more to what an interpreter can be and what we can do.”

Looking to the future

The Bloomsburg Interpreting Club collaborates with the other ASL clubs that are on campus, Signify, Image, and the Immersion Club. They frequently advertise at one another’s events to spread awareness of all the ASL clubs on campus, trying to provide everyone with opportunities to serve the community.

The club also holds a number of annual events for interpreting students as well as members of the deaf community to attend. These events include deaf day on the quad, which occurred on September 7th this year, a spaghetti dinner, which will occur on November 3rd from 4-7 p.m.; and a picnic in the park, typically held in the spring. These events are promoted on campus as well through Facebook, so members of the wider Bloomsburg county come as well. Every other year, the club also puts on an interpreting conference with workshops for students to attend, which was most recently held this past April.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Bloomsburg Interpreters Club, DM the club on Instagram (@bu.interpclub) or reach out to Jill Graham, the public relations chair ([email protected]).

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