Laurel Apodaca

Laurel Apodaca, BA, ISBE Licensed Educational Interpreter is an educational Interpreting in rural Illinois. She earned bachelor’s degree in American Sign Language–English Interpretation with a minor in ASL and an emphasis in educational interpreting from the University of Northern Colorado. Originally from San Diego, she grew up bilingual in ASL and English due to some personal associations. After graduating, completing her EIPA, and meeting her state credentialing requirements, she began interpreting virtually during the emergency remote education period of the pandemic, helping to ensure continued access to communication for deaf  and hard of hearing students during a critical time. In 2021, she began in-person interpreting work at a elementary school. As part of the educational team, she is passionate about facilitating communication in the classroom and ensuring that deaf and hard of hearing students have equitable access to learning and social engagement. She is committed to staying current in the field through ongoing study of educational interpreting research, being active in the National Association of Interpreters in Education and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, collaborating with the educational staff, and serving as an active member of the IEP team.