Melissa Alexander, Secretary — American Sign Language I
Melissa Alexander has close to 40 years of contact/experience with the deaf community and American Sign Language (ASL).
It was once said, “a deaf person’s greatest treasure was a hearing friend”. Melissa was in junior high when her family moved into an apartment complex where a deaf girl lived. Befriending the girl, Melissa learned how to fingerspell the alphabet and learn basic words. Melissa attended Tennessee Temple University which had a deaf school within the university, thus all chapels, student body meetings, and church services were interpreted for deaf students. She was exposed over and over to ASL & began learning more through interaction with deaf students.
Melissa made several deaf friends, took some beginning sign language classes, and began accompanying deaf students to the infirmary & doctors’ offices to interpret for them. She continues to use her abilities whenever possible and would love the opportunity to share her knowledge with young people and see them come to love the beauty of the “silent” language.