{"id":29526,"date":"2015-06-10T16:47:51","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T20:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2015\/06\/10\/neccfsu\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T16:16:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:16:00","slug":"neccfsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2015\/06\/10\/neccfsu\/","title":{"rendered":"First Class Graduates from ASL Interpreting Bachelor\u2019s Offered on NECC\u2019s Haverhill Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Graduate<\/a>

Graduate Samantha Smith (right in photo) celebrates with her Professor, Luce Aubry.<\/p><\/div>\n

Seven local students recently were in the first class to graduate from Massachusetts only public bachelor\u2019s degree program in American Sign Language-English Interpreting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All graduates of Northern Essex Community College\u2019s Associate Degree Program in Deaf Studies<\/a>, these students took Framingham State University courses, offered on Northern Essex\u2019s Haverhill Campus and online, as part of a degree-completion partnership between the two colleges.<\/p>\n

The seven earned a degree in American Sign Language-English Interpreting at Framingham State University\u2019s Commencement in May and are now preparing to take the state-level Massachusetts Interpreter Screening offered through the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. When they pass, they will be eligible for entry-level interpreting work. Ultimately, graduates will seek national certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, which will open up even more career opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe job market for certified interpreters is great,\u201d said Luce Aubry, coordinator of Northern Essex\u2019s Deaf Studies Program and assistant professor, World Languages Department, FSU.\u00a0 \u201cThey will find jobs interpreting for Deaf individuals in schools, courts, offices, and hospitals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Six<\/a>

Six of the seven NECC alumni who graduated from Framingham State\u2019s bachelor\u2019s in American Sign Language-English Interpreting. Left to right: Luce Aubry, Dana Haggar, Jacqueline Purvinis, Linda Wyke, Michelle Lasa, Elden Bollinger, Samantha Smith. Not pictured: Samantha Heighes.<\/p><\/div>\n

Samantha Smith of Rowley, MA was one of the seven graduates.\u00a0 After graduating from high school in 2005, she took college classes but decided to take a break because she couldn\u2019t figure out what she wanted to focus on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While working as a bank teller, she rediscovered her interest in deaf studies, which had been kindled during her childhood by her best friend\u2019s mother who was an ASL interpreter.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s now looking for a job that will keep her involved with the Deaf community and allow her to maintain her ASL skills while she prepares for the first part of the Massachusetts state screening for interpreters in the fall.<\/p>\n

Smith graduated with an Associate Degree in Deaf Studies from Northern Essex in 2013 and with her bachelor\u2019s from Framingham State in May.<\/p>\n

NECC and FSU launched the partnership two years ago with the goal of creating an affordable bachelor\u2019s degree program that would prepare graduates for careers in ASL interpreting.\u00a0 Students complete their associate degree at NECC in Deaf Studies: Interpreting Transfer<\/a> and then complete their junior and senior years taking FSU courses on NECC\u2019s Haverhill Campus.<\/p>\n

This group of 7 students is the first class to graduate from the new program and next spring it is expected that there will be 5 additional graduates.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents interested in a career as an interpreter for the Deaf should enjoy learning languages, studying different cultures, and working with people,\u201d according to Aubry.<\/p>\n

For more information on NECC\u2019s Deaf Studies programs<\/a>, visit the NECC website (necc.mass.edu<\/a>) or contact enrollment services at 978 556-3700.<\/p>\n

For more information on FSU\u2019s American Sign Language-English interpreting bachelor\u2019s degree, visit www.framingham.edu<\/a> or contact the Admissions Office at 508-626-4500.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seven local students recently were in the first class to graduate from Massachusetts only public bachelor\u2019s degree program in American Sign Language-English Interpreting.\u00a0 All graduates of Northern Essex Community College\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":183,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFirst Class Graduates from ASL Interpreting Bachelor\u2019s Offered on NECC\u2019s Haverhill Campus - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2015\/06\/10\/neccfsu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First Class Graduates from ASL Interpreting Bachelor\u2019s Offered on NECC\u2019s Haverhill Campus - 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