Teenagers are not known for good communication skills. Freshman Abby Ngalle, however, has got all the signs down.

Many people are bilingual because of school, culture, or parents, but for Ngalle, sign language is a necessity, not just an interesting skill.

As Ngalle’s mother and oldest sister are both deaf, Ngalle has been signing since she was a baby. Her sister attended the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) and Ngalle has spent a lot of time there, playing and interacting with other students, making it easier for her to learn sign language.  

“Since I was always there, I picked signing up, and it turned out that American Sign Language turned out to be my first language other than English,” said Ngalle.

Many people take sign language in high school, thinking it is an easy alternative to learning to roll their R’s for Spanish or conjugate verbs in French, but it is more difficult than most people think.

There are different signs for each letter of the alphabet, as well as signs for words, which can change in different regions just as all other languages.

For Ngalle, it isn’t the difficulty of ASL that makes her proud to know how to sign; it is the meaning that ASL has in her family.

“[Signing] brings me closer to my mother and sister by making me understand the deaf world and their views,” said Ngalle.

People are often drawn to interesting and out of the ordinary things. Though signing isn’t out of the ordinary in Ngalle’s life, many of her friends and peers find it fascinating.  

“I think it’s funny when they watch my mom and me sign to one another and they all are just like ‘Whoa, that is so cool!’” said Ngalle.

Longtime friend freshman Cassidy Taber, has become used to Ngalle using ASL, though it doesn’t make the specialness of  their communication wear off for her.

“I think the way they communicate is incredible,” said Taber.

Though ASL is a huge part of Ngalle’s life, it does not define her. Rather, it shapes her lifestyle. Ngalle’s ability to learn to sign, as well as her understanding and accepting the viewpoints of others makes her character shine in the eyes of those around her.

“I think [Ngalle]’s ability to use sign language illustrates how caring she is and how willing she is to be able to go the extra distance to have a strong relationship with her family,” said sophomore Kate Donovan, a friend of Ngalle’s.

As well as the bringing a unique factor to Ngalle, many of her peers can see that having an extra struggle in her life makes Ngalle stronger.

 “I believe that in life everybody has challenges, and this just happens to be [Ngalle]’s,” said Taber, “but she has found ways to overcome that challenge, and her family makes it work every single day.”