Jenelle Thomas
Third-year student
Major: Child Psychology
Minor: Family and Children Studies
I went to high school in Florida - South Miami High School. It's a mainstreamed, magnet program where I tried out for the dance company. I did that for 3 years. Now, I'm a third-year Gallaudet student. My major is Child Psychology, minor is Family and Children Studies.
I thought about attending another university in New York until my scholarship representative asked if I wanted to go out of state and if I've ever heard of Gallaudet, a university for deaf and hard of hearing students. Actually, she said program - deaf program. I was curious about it because I grew up oral, never knew ASL and wanted to know more about it. I applied for Gallaudet, got accepted, and made my final decision to come here. And, found out it was not a program, but a university for deaf and hard of hearing people. Surprise! I was very surprised.
I signed up for the New Signers Program (NSP) because I was told it is a program for people who don't know sign language - ASL. If I knew a little, I could still be a part of that program too; however, in my case, I knew nothing about ASL and growing up oral, I was interested in learning ASL. Because NSP was in the middle of the summer, I was able to become comfortable with the campus, with campus life, and the signing culture.
My experience with NSP was one-of-a-kind, really. I was shocked when I saw that people on campus only sign and do not voice or some do voice but still sign. And, I felt…"Oh, what am I going to do? I don't know ASL. How am I going to get through college here? Who will I understand?" My experience was a bit shaky initially and I wasn't sure if it was for me here, but with support, I was able to get through the program and learn more. I also experienced good friendships with other people like myself, who didn't know ASL. I felt we bonded and could help each other get through this. It was good.
When I first arrived at Gallaudet, I thought, "What a beautiful campus!" It looks the same as what I saw on the website and in brochures. I liked that…I felt…I could live here."
I thought ASL was only a language - just signing instead of speaking. I didn't think there was a culture with it, but as I learned the culture, I began to understand it. I'm hard of hearing. There's a culture with me being hard of hearing. It's a part of me. How did I handle it? At first, it was tough. It was more of a cultural shock, meaning I had to learn to sign when I'm around other people who are deaf or hard of hearing. My way of getting through that was by talking with the advisors in the New Signers Program. They were very helpful. They told me it would be okay later. There would be professors in the fall who would support me and also other students like myself who were mainstreamed and there would be more students who would be supportive. How I handled my feelings was by talking to other people who understood me. Most are understanding and empathetic. On the Gallaudet campus, the people are diverse. There are people who grew up oral and people who grew up in residential schools so there's a lot of diversity and a lot of understanding as well.
My interest with the Gallaudet Dance Company came about because I was a dancer in high school. I grew up dancing - since I was 6 years old. I wanted to continue with that if it was possible. When I saw that Gallaudet, a deaf university, had a dance program, it was wonderful! I tried out and got accepted into it and was in the company for two years. I enjoyed it a lot.
Right now, I'm trying to set up an organization called Sisterhood. A few other girls, about 13 of us, are trying to set up an organization for women of color to empower them to become leaders, to become more self-aware. We hope to start this successfully this fall.
My number one tip for new signers - Don't be afraid. You will have support. Don't give up, either. You can get through. Finish what you started. You will be okay. Accept changes as well. You won't really be by yourself or alone because everyone here wants to help you, wants you to learn ASL and understand the culture because it's your culture, too. So, accept changes. Grow. Be confident in yourself, and you will get through.
With my psychology major, I plan to become a therapist for families and children. Now, I can help deaf and hard of hearing children as well because I know the culture and ASL to be able to help them. There are not enough psychologists out there for us, for our community.
