I am a Boston native who received my interpreter training from Northeastern University. I got my professional start at The Learning Center for the Deaf before moving to Chicago. My education and immersion into the Deaf community led to a career in interpreting. I moved back home in 2018 and I have been afforded many opportunities such as interpreting conferences, post-secondary and doctorate education, business engagements, theatre performances, and concerts. I take great pride in professional development and mentoring future interpreters. Outside of work, I enjoy spending as much time as possible with my family, reading about true crime, and watching my home-town teams win championships.
Born and raised in Boston, I am a CODA and Interpreting has always been a passion and joy to me. I love giving back to the Deaf Community! I am a huge Boston Sports Fanatic, International Travel lover and foodie! In my free time I love to golf, exercise and spend time with my partner, family and friends!
I am a professional ASL interpreter and a proud Coda with over seven years of professional experience. My experience working in a wide variety of settings, including Video Relay Service (VRS), educational interpreting at all levels, medical, theatrical, and many years of Freelance.
I am also dedicated to maintaining a deep understanding of the cultural nuances that affect the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community, and strive to provide high-quality interpreting services that promote inclusivity and accessibility for all.
I was born and raised in Southeast Massachusetts by my Deaf mother and various Deaf family members. I started off my postsecondary education in nursing but my passion to work with the Deaf community pulled me into Deaf Studies. I became nationally certified, and have worked in various settings including K-12, VRS, and community. Outside of work I spend my time with my husband, daughter, dogs and chickens. I enjoy cruises, camping, laying on the beach, running through mud and Netflix binges.
A Rhode Island native, I traveled across the nation and throughout Europe after high school graduation. I came back to the New England area, settling in Massachusetts where I began taking ASL classes at The Learning Center. I then earned a degree from the interpreter training program at Northern Essex Community College. I worked at the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH), coordinating the after-hours emergency on call services for seven years. Outside of interpreting, I spend the majority of my time trying to keep up with my awesome daughter.
Although I am a native of Chicago, Illinois my blood runs orange for Tennessee. For the past 22 years, I have been a Staff Interpreter based in Tennessee, specializing in Video Relay Service (VRS) and higher education interpretations. I have enjoyed all the opportunities I have been able to experience and always look forward to the next adventure! When I’m not working, I love to spend time with my family, go camping, and experience the great outdoors.
I have been interpreting for 20+ years. I fell in love with the language when I was a teenager. As I got older, I took a couple of ASL classes at a community college. While employed at a deaf school, I was offered the chance to interpret for high school students who attended a trade school, as well as the chance to do some community interpreting. I have also worked in Video Relay for 11 years. During those years, I realized how much I missed the local deaf community and returned to community interpreting in 2010. Community interpreting has presented me with opportunities to work in various disciplines: medical, mental health, legal, professional/business, education, government, platform/conference, religious, theatre and a little theme park interpreting. When not interpreting, you can catch me spending time with my wonderful husband, cheering on my son in his next theatre production, visiting my daughter, son-in-love and 2 grandsugars or cuddling with my fur babies.
I began learning ASL at 18, after graduating from high school with no college plans in mind. More than 40 years later, I am still interpreting and love the language and Deaf community. From cruises to European tours, medical, educational and more, I value the experiences I’ve had being a part of the Deaf world. I am also an avid kayaker and sailor as well as busy Gramma of 2 kiddos and mom to 3 grown boys.
As a Knoxville, Tennessee native, I have had a unique upbringing. Being raised by Deaf parents, I have been organically involved in the Deaf community since birth. Professionally, I have over 20 years of experience in various interpreting roles, with my most recent role being at a school for the Deaf. I absolutely love being within the Deaf community and advocating for others. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and expressing my creativity by making handmade crafts. My background has instilled in me a deep appreciation for diversity and the importance of effective communication, both of which I apply to my personal and professional life.
Macey Butchko was born and raised in northern Ohio near Lake Erie. She is an ASL/ENG interpreter currently living near Providence, Rhode Island. Macey graduated college with a Bachelors of Science in American Sign Language/ English Interpreting and a Bachelors of Art in Integrated Studies with a focus on intersectionality and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). After graduating, Macey moved from Ohio to New England in the summer of 2023 with her partner and cat. Outside of her passion for working with the Deaf community and advocating for disadvantaged populations, she is a musician and loves performing.
My name is Kristen Wessels, I was born into the Deaf world as the second daughter to Deaf parents. I graduated from North Central University in 2018 with a BA in ASL/English Interpretation. After graduating I moved to Dallas, Texas to work at a Deaf non-profit until I moved to the Worcester area in 2020. I began interpreting with Partners Interpreting in 2021 and enjoy working in medical, college, community events, and more, in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. When I am not working I am spending time with my friends and family, have my hands in some sort of craft or DIY project, or I am spoiling my cats – Lila and Zephyr.
I graduated from the Northeastern University interpreter training program in 2017. Back in high school I watched “Switched at Birth” on ABC family, a show about a Deaf and a hearing girl getting accidentally swapped to the wrong families in the hospital. The show included sign language, and being the language nerd that I am, I was inspired to learn more. When I initially came to NU, I majored in journalism because I had dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist, but I was also able to take ASL for a language requirement. I fell in love with the language right away. After an impromptu “interpreting” experience at church, I decided that I wanted to switch my major to interpreting. Currently, I specialize in theater, mental health, SUD, and some medical interpreting. At the moment I freelance full time. When I’m not interpreting, I love to dance, read, study language, meditate and crochet/knit.
I grew up in Ohio, and was introduced to the deaf community at age 14 through the deaf/hard of hearing program at my high school. I learned ASL for 4 years before graduation and enrolled in a bachelors degree program in American Sign Language/english interpreting. After earning my degree in 2023, I moved across the country with my partner and eventually settled in Rhode Island. I enjoy building my skills, and look forward to the many meaningful relationships I build within the community.
I am a Deaf native Texan currently residing in Rhode Island! I come from a deaf family living in a rural community, and my family is involved in the cattle industry. Growing up with different kinds of languages and communication tools inspired me to be a Deaf interpreter. I graduated from the Texas School of the Deaf and got my Bachelor of Arts in Interpretation from Gallaudet University. Go Bison! I enjoy working in the DeafBlind community as well as the Medical Field! I love cooking savory foods, baking sweets at home, and traveling with my fur daughter, Zia Hazel!
Born and raised in New Jersey I joined Partners Interpreting in December 2021 as an a schedule coordinator. I graduated from Gallaudet University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Deaf Studies. I joined the PI team six months after graduating college. I gained the confidence and experience within ASL scheduling as well as CART scheduling. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the scheduling team online and I am proud to say that I am friends with the staff I met through working remotely. During my time in office, it was always a goal of mine to transition to become an ASL interpreter. I moved to Rhode Island in August of 2023 and fell in love with the area. I have been interpreting shy of 2 years between working VRI and face to face interpreting in Massachusetts. I fell in love with performance interpreting from school talent shows, to Pride events, and drag shows. I also have ample experience working in the medical field, k-12 education, higher education, and corporate environments. I look forward to the future here in New England.
My journey towards becoming an interpreter started right after I graduated high school here in Massachusetts. After meeting some community members I decided to pursue ASL professionally and went to Northern Essex Community College, and then finished my BA at the University of Northern Colorado. However, my education would not have been complete without the “school of DEAF, Inc.” I have been freelancing full time since 2023, and received my NIC certification in 2024. I especially enjoy working in colleges and professional environments. When not working, I can be found hiking, rock climbing, or listening to an audiobook. Or maybe all three simultaneously.