Krystina Volpe Moves a Step Closer to Her Dream

Krystina Volpe is a student in her second year of the Keep Achieving (Kach) at Brookdale program.  Krystina has always said that her dream job would be to work with young children in a pre-school environment.  Krystina has moved one step closer to realizing this dream.

During the Fall 2011 semester at BrookdaleCommunity College, Krystina enrolled in American Sign Language I, and had amazing success.  She not only mastered very difficult content in this class, but also improved her self-advocacy skills along the way.  As the semester went on, Krystina began to communicate directly with the professor, rather than asking her Peer Mentor to do it.  By semester’s end, Krystina was even attending the class without her Peer Mentor.

As we are about to enter the new semester, students in the program were asked to develop community volunteer opportunities for themselves.  Krystina wanted to volunteer in the pre-school that is housed on the Brookdale campus, and utilize her new skills in American Sign Language.  With a little help from the Kach Coordinator, Allan Cohen, and Kach Instructor, Claire Kalli, Krystina has succeeded in making this a reality.  Starting early in February, Krystina will be putting in hours at the pre-school.  She will be working in a program that teaches sign language to the pre-schoolers.

 Congratulations, Krystina!

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