An American Sign Language student from College of the Canyons was awarded a $1,000 scholarship for an essay about her intern experience as an interpreter in the Sulphur Springs School District.
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Courtney Wiscarson won the California Internship and Work Experience Association’s Dr. Bernard L. Hyink Scholarship, becoming the first student from COC to do so.
The scholarship was open to students from California’s 113 community colleges, and 10 students from COC applied for the award’s two-year college category.
“Fingers flutter and hands slide as they form pictures and words; each sign comes together to create the beautiful art of American Sign Language,” Wiscarson wrote in her essay.
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At 750 words, the essay “highlighted the resilience of the deaf and hard-of-hearing students with whom she worked,” college officials said, noting that Wiscarson also discussed her worries about signing incorrectly to the district’s children.
Despite these concerns, Wiscarson wrote that her mentor helped to guide her through her internship experience, stating, “She did everything in her power for these kids, and she did everything in her power for me.”
Wiscarson told college officials that her successful internship helped to cement her career goal of working as an interpreter with elementary school children.
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