By MYRNA FOSTER
Moapa Valley Progress
Klaryne Quirarte, daughter of Overton residents Jose Quirarte and Kathryne Olson, is one of only 12 students who has been chosen nationally to attend the 2014 summer session of School-to-Work program at the VRS Interpreting Institute.
Dedicated to lifelong interpreter training and mentoring, the Institute is the leader in Video Relay Service (VRS) education. Sorenson Communications, the largest employer of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters in the U. S., founded the Institute in 2009 to raise the quality of ASL interpreting. The VRS Interpretive Institute (VRSII) is located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Klaryne Quirarte graduated from MVHS in 2006. Then she moved to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah. In 2010, she graduated with a bachelor of science in Psychology.
“It was while I was at the U of U that I took an ASL class and realized that I really wanted to continue learning the language,” Quirarte said. “So, I started taking more classes at Salt Lake Community College. I also applied and was accepted to SLCC’s Interpreter Training Program.”
Quirarte graduated from the program in May with an associate’s degree in American Sign Language/English Interpreting.
Quirarte is currently certified and works as an ASL interpreter for the University of Utah. She intends to continue working there part-time while she goes through the program at VRSII.
Quirarte said she chose VRSII because the program offers classes and one-on-one training with teachers and mentors. It will also give her the opportunity to interpret in unique settings.
“They really help new interpreters take their skills to the next level,” she said.
Quirarte’s grateful she’s been accepted to a program that will have such a positive impact on her career.
“I’d like to thank my parents, my teachers and mentors for supporting me in my journey to become a sign language interpreter,” she said.
