"Hello! My name is Emily. I’m a student; I go to CSULB. I study Spanish, English, and ASL. I like to read, write, and paint. I want to teach in the future. It’s nice to meet you!"
Written by Emily Torres
My journey in American Sign Language began in third grade when I received a student’s dictionary that had the sign language alphabet. I dedicated myself to learning it and became very curious about the language itself. However, it wasn’t until years later when ASLD 101 was offered as a UHP course that I was able to share my enthusiasm with fellow honors students who were just as eager to learn the language.
Our professor, Sarahlena Banu, created a no-voice policy when we began the class and has created a challenging but nurturing environment where we can communicate openly without fear of failure. When our professor informed us that there would be no interpreter, I was intimidated. But having familiar faces there that I recognized from previous honors classes made me feel like we could all do it together.
Not only have we begun to learn a new language, but we’ve also become socially aware of deaf culture.
“My experience in Honors ASL has been really great! I’ve learned so much about deaf culture and, of course, how to sign” said business finance major and second-year student, Mariah Ramirez. “The class is really fun and I’m glad that I’m able to communicate a little bit with people through sign.”
Aside from learning to sign, we have also been taught how to interact with other signers; for example, how to navigate a signing environment, or greet someone properly. We have also completed group video assignments where we work together to tell a story in ASL, and we’ve formed study groups in the Los Cerritos Hall to support each other in our individual ASL journeys.
Thanks to what we’ve learned in this class, we’ve been able to branch out of our comfort zone and use ASL in the real world. For instance, some classmates and I attended an ASL social at The Hangar, where we met several deaf and hearing individuals. Everyone in attendance was at a different level of ASL acquisition, but we were still able to communicate and learn from one another. Second-year child development major student Elaina Miskiel said, “I loved attending a deaf event where I got to hang out with deaf people and be able to hold a substantial conversation.”
In a few weeks, my classmates and I have gone from knowing only the alphabet to having full conversations in ASL with each other, our professor, and other ASL users.
Geselle Munoz, second-year psychology major, said, “ASL is pretty easy to learn if you have the right mindset, and a good teacher helps too.”
Comments