Medford student spreads love of ASL

Medford High School junior Rachel Dziewit has a passion for American Sign Language (ASL).
As a sixth grader in Delaware, she took an ASL class, but a field trip Galludet University, a world-class school for students who are hearing impaired, really sparked her interest. She took classes every year, until moving to Medford a year ago.
“I fell in love with the language, the facial expressions, and how it makes you feel,” said Dziewit, who recently launched an ASL club at the school. “It’s an amazing language. It’s so much fun, and it’s a career that pays a lot.”
She admits to feeling disappointed when she learned Medford High School doesn’t offer an ASL class and thought about pursuing her interest with online classes. When friends talked about wanting to learn, though, she got another idea.
“I had a lot of extra time, and I wanted to put that to good use,” Dziewit said.
With support from those friends, she brought the idea of forming a club to principal Kevin Babcock. All he asked was that she find a teacher who would oversee the group. He also gave Dziewit some advice about how to recruit new members and run a successful meeting.
While many students come up with ideas like this one, Babcock said, far fewer see them through.
“She kept pursuing it and made it happen,” he said. “She’s passionate about it, and it’s good for her to have a leadership role.”
There’s also a benefit for other students, who are exposed to a new learning opportunity, he added.
Dziewit said she really enjoys teaching ASL to others and even considered teaching as a career path. As she looks toward the future, though, she sees herself as an ASL interpreter, especially after an experience with doing that at her church.
“When you come up to someone and they see you can sign, they’re so filled with joy,” she said. “Seeing their faces light up with a smile makes me so happy.”
The Medford High ASL Club is open to anyone with an interest. Dziewit would love to see it grow and encourages students to think about how learning ASL could benefit them in the future. After putting her ASL training on resumes, she knows employers view it as an asset.
“You can also use it as a secret language with your friends,” she joked.
Dziewit has also set a much larger goal that could lead to a significant change at Medford High School.
“I want to bring it to the school board’s attention to get a class going,” she said.
“ASL is a very fun and loving language,” Dziewit added. “It’s easy to learn and it will benefit you a lot in life.”
Babcock said he hopes more students come forward with ideas the way Dziewit has.
“They really need to come to us so that we know what they want,” he said.