Heather graduated from Lincoln Christian College, with a Bachelor in Arts in Bivocational Missions. She also earned her Interpreter Preparation certification at Community College of Baltimore County. Heather started her own interpreting agency, Hands to Heart Interpreting, and plans to pursue national certification in the near future.
From a young age, Heather started learning sign language from deaf friends. She has enjoyed the lifelong process developing her skills and connecting with the deaf community.
In 2001, Heather completed an internship with Deaf Missions in Council Bluffs, IA. While there, she worked with deaf children, helping them to write and act in a play fully performed in American Sign Language (ASL). She also interpreted and prepared materials for missionaries to use with deaf people all over the world. Heather started interpreting in 2002, and she started teaching ASL classes. soon afterwards.
By 2005, Heather started a deaf ministry at the church she and her husband attended in the Baltimore, Maryland area. In 2009, she served as Director for the National Christian Convention for the Deaf.
Heather and her family moved in 2010 to Western Maryland. She started homeschooling her 4 daughters, while teaching ASL classes at the local community college, and working as an interpreter. Her interpreting experiences include religious, medical, educational, musical (summer concerts), theatrical (Frozen, Newsies, and The Pajama Game). Heather also interpreted at a deaf summer camp.
Wonderful ASL teacher!
My daughter is in her second year of taking ASL from Mrs. Lavin. Mrs. Lavin is an amazing teacher. My child has learned so much from her and has grown in her confidence both in ASL and also in her ability to tackle new things. Now in her 4th year of ASL, my daughter wants to continue learning and has gained the knowledge she needs to be successful thanks to this teacher. Mrs. Lavin has made my child feel comfortable, she has challenged her, and she is great at reaching out and responding to questions and does a great job at keeping parents abreast of what’s going on in class. I highly recommend taking a class with this professor!
Amazing Teacher and Experience
My daughter had been taking classes with Mrs. Lavin for 2 years now and I highly recommend her for ASL. She takes time with the students and provides them with ASL understanding, allowing them to grow in the language. Feel blessed to have found Mrs. Lavin. My daughter is now completing her 4th year in ASL and is driven to continue learning ASL in college, which I know is from her experience with Mrs. Lavin.
