CONNECT INTERPRETING - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Core Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Core Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Core Member
Julia graduated from AUT with a BA in NZSL-English Interpreting in 2015, and was delighted to be offered a Connect internship for 2016. Her previous studies include a BA in Psychology and Education, and because of this she has a strong interest in Deaf mental health.
Julia was born in London and grew up there, but has lived in Auckland for 13 years in total. Her interest in signed languages started when she decided to take a BSL night class while she was living in London - from there, she was hooked! She decided to move back to Auckland to be closer to family, and felt it was the perfect opportunity to enrol at AUT and become an NZSL interpreter.
Julia's professional background includes working in online content publishing, and course co-ordination in a range of universities in London. She has been working as a part-time Project Administrator for Deafradio since the beginning of 2015, and enjoys being involved in efforts to make content more accessible for the Deaf community.
In the future, Julia would like to develop her skills and eventually work in Deaf mental health interpreting. In the past, she has been the notetaker for the Coalition of Deaf Mental Health Professionals, and hopes to take up this role again now that she has finished her studies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Core Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Core Member
Leila graduated from AUT in 2011, among the last to qualify with a Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting. Connect then offered her the first placement on their new internship programme, and she worked in this unique capacity for a year before returning to university to complete the new B.A.
Since graduating Leila has interpreted in a variety of settings, including but not limited to compulsory education, hospital appointments, professional meetings, social liaison jobs and tertiary education. Every day brings something new and she feels it is a rare privilege to facilitate communication between people with such a diverse range of skills, knowledge and experience.
Leila's interest in NZSL was inspired through meeting a Deaf student via her mother Alene. As a Speech Language Therapist, Alene was keen to learn NZSL for use with Deaf/non-verbal students and encouraged Leila to join a night class with her. Such was their enjoyment that within a year Leila had enrolled on the interpreting course and her mother was re-training to be a Teacher of the Deaf. Throughout her studies, Leila was fortunate enough to work part time as communication support for the same Deaf student she first met.
Leila's areas of passion and interest have always surrounded communication, language and psychology. Having trained as a telephone counsellor for Kidsline and Youthline, she considered studying clinical psychology at university before discovering the Deaf world and choosing to become an interpreter instead. However, given the difficulty Deaf experience accessing therapy in their primary language, she wonders long term if there may be a way to benefit the community through coupling both these interests and considers counselling a potential future direction.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Core Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Core Team
- Core Member
Job Titles:
- Bookings Coordinator ( Auckland )