Miss-Delectable
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Rachel Sparks' hands and face are her lifelines.
She does not speak words, instead letting her lively expressions and constant movements do the talking for her.
From birth, Sparks has lived in a world of silence, but she is far from quiet. The Chemeketa Community College student is known on campus for her friendliness, her willingness to help others and her desire to spread her form of communication, American Sign Language, and a culture that is unique to deaf people.
"I want to pass that on to other deaf folks, that they are empowered to do whatever they need to do," Sparks said through an interpreter. "We can support each other and be strong together in that identity."
Sparks, 27, recently beat out three women to grab the title of Miss Deaf Oregon. The win is yet another way Sparks is acting as a role model for the deaf community. She is a popular ASL tutor at Chemeketa and, last year, she revived a campus club for people who are interested in the language.
"She's just more outgoing than a lot of deaf students are," said Kathe Allison, one of Sparks' supervisors in Chemeketa's tutoring center. "She's just willing to take that extra step to communicate. ... She shares her passion with the hearing world, which I think is great."
Sparks has come a long way from her youth on the sparsely populated Kodiak Island in Alaska, where she was the only deaf person and had no interpreter. She did not meet another deaf person until the family moved to Fairbanks when she was 10.
"For me, that was a bit of a frightening experience because I was used to a small, different environment," she said. "It was my first time around other deaf people. I was very nervous about it."
Elementary school was when she first encountered her frustrations with interpreters, an issue that still concerns her. Too many interpreters don't connect well with the people they are signing for, she said, especially when working with children.
"I grew up with interpreters being critical of me. I wasn't allowed to be a kid. If my mind wasn't on the task, I was called out for that," Sparks said. "Particularly in elementary school, interpreters need to learn they're not there to be parents; they're there to interpret."
When Sparks graduated from high school, she left her Alaskan home and entered an entirely new environment: a community college in California's Bay Area.
"That had a huge influence on me because I went to a college that had a lot of deaf people," she said. "I learned more about how to use the language, about deaf culture, about how to be a deaf person."
At the same time, she wasn't happy living in California. Coming from a small rural town, it was hard for her to adapt to the fast-paced, crowded lifestyle of the Bay Area.
So three years ago, she transferred to Chemeketa. She hopes to finish her degree work in June, then go on to Western Oregon University.
Competing in the Miss Deaf Oregon pageant in October was quite a different experience for Sparks, a self-proclaimed tomboy who had to don an evening gown for one part of the competition.
"The high heels were killing me," she said.
She also had to give private and on-stage interviews, and participate in a talent portion where she interpreted one of her favorite books, "Best of All" by Max Lucado, into sign language. Sparks' title qualified her for a national competition next summer.
Sparks works every week in Chemeketa's tutoring center as she prepares for what she hopes will be her career: an ASL teacher.
Sparks' assigned corner in the center is decorated with a sign declaring "ASL language tutoring -- no voice."
During a recent session with student Ellicia Newcomer, Sparks "listened" carefully as Newcomer practiced telling a five-minute story that she will have to do in front her ASL class. Sparks was patient as Newcomer's story unfolded, occasionally correcting Newcomer's signs.
Newcomer, 19, is studying to become a sign-language interpreter.
"My hardest part has been facial expressions," Newcomer said. "(Sparks) has been working on that with me."
Facial expressions are vital to American Sign Language, just as voice inflections are important in spoken English. The way a person moves his eyebrows when signing can change a phrase's meaning.
Nailing the expressions is one of the toughest things for ASL students to learn, said Bobbi Bowman, the chairwoman of Chemeketa's ASL program.
"Important components of the grammar are held within the face," she said.
Sparks is patient with the students she tutors and eager to help them learn her native language, Bowman said.
"With her humor, her style, her way of welcoming them, she has them laughing and working. ... Rachel is good with her face, and so clearly models the language that the students get it," Bowman said.
Sparks wants others -- hearing or not -- to know more about the culture that goes along with being a deaf person. Sparks describes deaf culture as having a different language and perspective on life, and not letting a disability keep you from doing what you want.
"People associate with each other differently," Sparks said. "That's where, as deaf people, we find happiness and satisfaction with who we are."
Rachel Sparks' hands and face are her lifelines.
She does not speak words, instead letting her lively expressions and constant movements do the talking for her.
From birth, Sparks has lived in a world of silence, but she is far from quiet. The Chemeketa Community College student is known on campus for her friendliness, her willingness to help others and her desire to spread her form of communication, American Sign Language, and a culture that is unique to deaf people.
"I want to pass that on to other deaf folks, that they are empowered to do whatever they need to do," Sparks said through an interpreter. "We can support each other and be strong together in that identity."
Sparks, 27, recently beat out three women to grab the title of Miss Deaf Oregon. The win is yet another way Sparks is acting as a role model for the deaf community. She is a popular ASL tutor at Chemeketa and, last year, she revived a campus club for people who are interested in the language.
"She's just more outgoing than a lot of deaf students are," said Kathe Allison, one of Sparks' supervisors in Chemeketa's tutoring center. "She's just willing to take that extra step to communicate. ... She shares her passion with the hearing world, which I think is great."
Sparks has come a long way from her youth on the sparsely populated Kodiak Island in Alaska, where she was the only deaf person and had no interpreter. She did not meet another deaf person until the family moved to Fairbanks when she was 10.
"For me, that was a bit of a frightening experience because I was used to a small, different environment," she said. "It was my first time around other deaf people. I was very nervous about it."
Elementary school was when she first encountered her frustrations with interpreters, an issue that still concerns her. Too many interpreters don't connect well with the people they are signing for, she said, especially when working with children.
"I grew up with interpreters being critical of me. I wasn't allowed to be a kid. If my mind wasn't on the task, I was called out for that," Sparks said. "Particularly in elementary school, interpreters need to learn they're not there to be parents; they're there to interpret."
When Sparks graduated from high school, she left her Alaskan home and entered an entirely new environment: a community college in California's Bay Area.
"That had a huge influence on me because I went to a college that had a lot of deaf people," she said. "I learned more about how to use the language, about deaf culture, about how to be a deaf person."
At the same time, she wasn't happy living in California. Coming from a small rural town, it was hard for her to adapt to the fast-paced, crowded lifestyle of the Bay Area.
So three years ago, she transferred to Chemeketa. She hopes to finish her degree work in June, then go on to Western Oregon University.
Competing in the Miss Deaf Oregon pageant in October was quite a different experience for Sparks, a self-proclaimed tomboy who had to don an evening gown for one part of the competition.
"The high heels were killing me," she said.
She also had to give private and on-stage interviews, and participate in a talent portion where she interpreted one of her favorite books, "Best of All" by Max Lucado, into sign language. Sparks' title qualified her for a national competition next summer.
Sparks works every week in Chemeketa's tutoring center as she prepares for what she hopes will be her career: an ASL teacher.
Sparks' assigned corner in the center is decorated with a sign declaring "ASL language tutoring -- no voice."
During a recent session with student Ellicia Newcomer, Sparks "listened" carefully as Newcomer practiced telling a five-minute story that she will have to do in front her ASL class. Sparks was patient as Newcomer's story unfolded, occasionally correcting Newcomer's signs.
Newcomer, 19, is studying to become a sign-language interpreter.
"My hardest part has been facial expressions," Newcomer said. "(Sparks) has been working on that with me."
Facial expressions are vital to American Sign Language, just as voice inflections are important in spoken English. The way a person moves his eyebrows when signing can change a phrase's meaning.
Nailing the expressions is one of the toughest things for ASL students to learn, said Bobbi Bowman, the chairwoman of Chemeketa's ASL program.
"Important components of the grammar are held within the face," she said.
Sparks is patient with the students she tutors and eager to help them learn her native language, Bowman said.
"With her humor, her style, her way of welcoming them, she has them laughing and working. ... Rachel is good with her face, and so clearly models the language that the students get it," Bowman said.
Sparks wants others -- hearing or not -- to know more about the culture that goes along with being a deaf person. Sparks describes deaf culture as having a different language and perspective on life, and not letting a disability keep you from doing what you want.
"People associate with each other differently," Sparks said. "That's where, as deaf people, we find happiness and satisfaction with who we are."
