Biography
Valerie is thrilled to be part of Niagara University’s American Sign Language & Deaf Studies team! She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in American Sign Language, and Japanese from the University of Rochester. Upon graduating in 2014, she taught ASL classes at a small private school in Buffalo and at Deaf Access Services before finding her home at NU in 2017.
In addition to instructing ASL, Valerie is also an ASL/English interpreter for the Buffalo area after completing an Interpreter Training Program through Spokane Falls Community College in 2019.
Why I Sign
I love being able to bring together the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and hearing communities through signing. I first became interested in learning ASL when I met a Deaf friend in middle school. She gave me my name sign, which I still use today! I always loved watching her and her interpreter use ASL to communicate. That interest fueled my desire to pursue it in my education, which has grown into a rewarding career and lifelong passion.