Let Us Introduce Ourselves
We are the people you see in class, but you might not necessarily know who we are or why we're in there. We aren't classmates or instructors, but we are your peer mentors -- and we are here to help! Our roles are quite diverse, ranging from being a prop in class for the instructor, to scheduling review sessions for tests. We are here for your benefit and want you to feel comfortable coming to us for advice or help. Most of us have been where you are at some point in our signing careers and want to share with you our passion for ASL. So, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, or just want some advice. We are here for you, and have provided little bios below to help you get to know us better!
Andy Cullen
Email: andrew.cullen913@topper.wku.edu
Greetings Cherubs,
I am a senior here on the Hill and in my second year in the ASL program. I will be graduating in December with a degree in Social Media Marketing and a minor in American Sign Language Studies. I will be going to Graduate School here as well, so I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. :)
I became a Peer Mentor starting in the summer of 2012, after completing ASL 1 & 2 with the glorious, Dr. Ashley Fox the year before. I choose to become a Peer Mentor because it was a great way for me to practice and keep my signing up during the summer, and because I love working with students (hence me getting my Master's Degree in Student Affairs).
I love being a Peer Mentor because I love ASL, love learning and teaching ASL, and being a part of an experience of learning, what is for many students, a new language.
Holly Bean
Email: holly.bean407@topper.wku.edu
Hi everybody!! I am a senior here at WKU receiving my extended Psychology Major and the NEW ASLS (American Sign Language Studies) Minor. I started ASL two years ago, and I really just have not stopped yet. I am currently the ASLO President, and new to the whole Peer Mentoring world. It is such an exciting time, and I am loving every second of it. I remember in my ASL class that I had a Peer Mentor that was the go between person for Ashley and my class. I will never forget how much easier and more comfortable I felt knowing there was a student, just like me, who knew the material and was there to help our class. I hope that through my Peer Mentoring I can help share my love for ASL while teaching a brand-new and exciting language. :)
Kelsey Sympson
Email: kelsey.sympson991@topper.wku.edu
I became a Peer Mentor because I fell in love with the language. I enjoy being able to communicate with someone in a different language and understand without speaking a word. I wanted to be a Peer Mentor because my Peer Mentor helped me and I wanted to be able to help others. Also I am an elementary education major so I thought it would benefit me.
Zack Payne
Email: zack.payne13@gmail.com
Hey guys!
My name is Zack. I'm from the Atlanta area and started here at Western in 2008. Since then I have finished my degree in biology and plan on attending medical school sometime in the future.
I originally took American Sign Language for two reasons. One, I needed to fulfill the language requirement at Western and two, I didn't want to take a boring language like Spanish. That being said, by the time I finished ASL 1 & 2 I was hooked. I don't know whether it was the awesome professor I had, or just how interesting the language was but ASL has had a much larger affect on me than I ever thought it would when I started. I have even decided to open a primary care practice geared toward helping Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people after finishing medical school.
When I finished my ASL 2 class, I jumped on the chance of being a Peer Mentor and have worked as one every semester since. I liked the idea of attending the classes again to keep my skills up and staying involved with the Deaf community. If you get the opportunity to be a Peer Mentor, I suggest doing it! It's a lot of fun and you get to help the newcomers who are sitting where you were not too long ago.
Anna Vied
Email: anna.vied627@topper.wku.edu
Sitting through your first few classes of ASL is SUPER intimidating. You are told you can't use your voice and you have zero idea how to get your comments across non-verbally. I feel that's where the Peer Mentors come into play, they are the happy middle ground between the scary unknown and learning this amazing language. So that's why I decided to become a PM! I know firsthand how terrifying it can be on that side of the classroom, mostly because I'm still there! No matter if you are one of my "ASL babies" or learning with another PM, never hesitate to ask us for help, that's why we're here!!!
