Pictured in the photo above are Jane Regnier, Assistant Vice President of Program Development and Distance Learning (left); Cynthia Perez, health care interpreting faculty (middle); and Dr. William Marzano, Assistant Vice President of Community Development (right).

Waubonsee’s health care interpreting program grew out of the Fox Valley area’s need for more and better-trained interpreters in hospitals and clinics.

Waubonsee alumna Lulu Blacksmith was working at Provena Mercy Center in Aurora when she saw this need firsthand. Her response was to help found Compañeros en Salud (Partners in Health), which trained bilingual individuals to become interpreters. But once she realized being bilingual wasn’t enough, she turned to Waubonsee to create a more comprehensive college credit training program.

Since then, Waubonsee’s health care interpreting program has grown to include two certificates and an associate degree, the first of its kind in Illinois.

Because of its innovation, the program has been honored with several awards, including the Exemplary Initiatives Award from The National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA).