Sign Language Club provides support

By Juanita Kelly-Hill
Staff Writer

The Sign Language Club at LCC promotes the needs and goals of people who want to upgrade their sign language skills.

The club holds weekly events that are open to the public every Thursday in the Gannon Building from 2 to 5 p.m. During these meetings, members can participate in games that help improve sign language and interpreting skills, according to Natalie Bengston, the club’s president.

“The club has had a major impact on its members and it gives a sense of community and security,” Bengston said. “I was nervous to interact before joining the program. When you can find people who are on the same level and have the same goals as you, it makes it easy for you to interact and form friendships.”

LCC student Patricia Alvord has been a participant of the Sign Language Club since 2021. As someone who is going to school to become an interpreter, she sought out the club to build connections and friendships. 

Alvord said her favorite thing about the club is the people she has met and the friendships she has made.

“The club has given me confidence in my signing abilities,” Alvord said. “Everyone in the club does their best to provide a safe space for students to make mistakes and learn from them.”

For anyone interested in checking out the club, it will soon be hosting its first big event of the semester. Fall Fest will be Sunday, Sept. 18 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the picnic tables between the Gannon Building and Arts and Sciences building. The event is is open to both LCC students and the public.

For more information on the LCC Sign Language Club, contact Club Adviser Monique Franks-Balcarcel at balcarm1@lcc.edu.