KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Amongst the crowd in the Northview High School cafeteria on Friday night, Marie Deregnaucourt and Evan Arnold were all smiles. The two of them are part of a team of people who have been working for a long time to make this event, and this crowd happen.
13 ON YOUR SIDE first told you last month about Northview PAH. It's an opportunity for students who are in the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community to connect with colleges, employers, and other valuable resources that may help them once they graduate from high school.
"Today we are celebrating ASL (American Sign Language), Deaf culture, Deaf community, and everybody coming together just for fellowship, friendship and more connections," said Deregnaucourt who teaches ASL at Northview and served as the coordinator for the event.
"This feels like I'm living a dream right now. I have been putting this together piece by piece and just trying so hard to work out details, and seeing it all come together, it's just jaw dropping. It's incredible."
Arnold, who is a Northview senior, and served as Deregnaucourt's co-coordinator, also said the event was a huge success.
"This is bigger than I ever could have imagined, and it's really just been my dream. So to see everyone coming together and just really experiencing and celebrating deaf culture, and ASL is just incredible. It's something I've always wanted," she said.
"It's just a great event, and a great opportunity. I really could not be more proud of this. It's been my passion project."
Deregnaucourt says she plans for Northview PAH to become an annual event.
"This is just the first step. I'm hoping to make this even bigger and better next year. I want to bring in more people, more vendors, more community, and have this be just one thing to look forward to," she said.
If you'd like to be a part of next year's event, you can contact Deregnaucourt by emailing her at mderegnaucourt@nvps.net.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.