Practicum to Podium: Bloomsburg's ASL program powers student success

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2. Practicum to Podium: Bloomsburg's ASL program powers student success

Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg's Student Interpreter Club recently hosted the 2026 ASL Interpreter Conference, giving students a chance to showcase research, connect with professionals and build leadership skills.

A collection of ASL seniors presented research to fellow students, professors and professionals, with projects largely inspired by their practicum experiences. Jillian Graham, a junior ASL/English Interpreting major and president of the ASL Interpreter Club, said the program gives students early exposure to the profession through classroom observation, conferences, expos and networking opportunities.

"Due to this early exposure, my executive board and I were able to plan and host our conference to our fullest potential," Graham said.

Alexis Detwiler, a senior ASL/English Interpreting major, said coursework and real-world interpreting scenarios helped sharpen language skills while emphasizing cultural awareness, ethical decision-making and intentional practice.

"The program emphasizes not only language proficiency, but also cultural awareness, ethical decision-making, and intentional practice," Detwiler said.

Students said the conference offered a meaningful opportunity to share work shaped by their practicum placements and to learn from one another's experiences.

Maggie Tower, a senior ASL/English Interpreting major, said her practicum placement at a middle school gave her research a practical focus.

"I have about 10 students I interpret for on any given day, which is not the norm in educational interpreting," Tower said. "In this environment, some challenges occur that do not occur in other educational interpreting settings, so I thought it would be interesting to research why varying linguistic needs in the same classroom occur, and what we can do as interpreters in that situation."

Detwiler's presentation examined how interpreters make implicit information explicit in visual languages such as ASL.

"I began to notice how often interpreters must analyze information that's implied in English and make decisions about how to represent that meaning visually in ASL," Detwiler said.

Students also said the conference strengthened their connections with alumni, professionals and community members in the field.

"The ASL/English Interpreting community is extremely diverse and welcoming," Graham said. "It's always an honor to meet new interpreters, and this was a great opportunity to network and make those connections!"

Tower said she especially valued seeing classmates in person after months apart because students in the program complete practicum experiences in different locations.

"As an interpreting program student, it's required that we complete an Interpreting Practicum during our last semester," Tower said. "This can be completed anywhere, and my cohort is spread out across the East Coast, so it was especially nice getting to see my 19 classmates for the first time in-person since December."

Students said one of the biggest takeaways from the conference was that interpreters must remain lifelong learners and adaptable leaders.

Kayla Korpics, an ASL/English Interpreting major, said interpreters must stay open to new challenges.

"We are always adapting to the new, the uncomfortable, and the unexpected," Korpics said. "It's important to always keep an open mind and expand our horizons to best fit the consumers we interpret for."

Graham said planning and leading the conference also helped her grow as a leader.

"Being elected as president of the ASL Interpreter Club was my very first experience being president of an organization and it has been nothing but positive," Graham said. "I've learned to become an effective leader and positively lead my board and work with them to plan this conference."

Categories:

• Academics
• American Sign Language (ASL)
• Conference
• Deaf/Hard of Hearing Education
• Professional U
• Students

Tags:

• Conference
• Research