I kind of fell into linguistics by accident, and I am so glad I did. I transferred to PSU in 2022 after studying biomedical engineering, a field I liked but didn’t love. On a whim, I signed up for Intro to Linguistics, and everything changed. I was instantly hooked by the idea that subtle cues, such as a slight head tilt, a raised eyebrow, or a wildly waving hand, could have a profound impact on our perceptions and carry so much linguistic weight. The fact that language could be studied not only through words, but through the unconscious, everyday gestures we take for granted, completely captivated me. So it’s no surprise I was drawn to ASL, where language unfolds visually and spatially, in the body, the face, and the air around us.
This spring, I’m proud to be graduating summa cum laude with my B.A. in Applied Linguistics and a minor in ASL. I’m incredibly honored to be this year’s Nattinger Scholarship recipient and thrilled to return in the fall to continue research in sign language linguistics!