Cayden Nixon

Lending a Hand

Cayden Nixon is a senior communication major with a focus in mass media. She’s also deeply involved with Upstate’s ASL program. This fall she was able to apply her skills in both areas to an internship at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Her work at SCSDB varies from day to day, but she regularly encounters different communication needs – some that require ASL, others that call her to think creatively. She explains that her internship has given her a deeper understanding of how language access – or lack thereof – can affect people.

“Something I’ve learned is how there’s many different types of language, but in the same field there’s lots of language deprivation,” Nixon says. “It’s interesting how for many, language just seems to be the ‘norm’ or is just something natural.

“But it is important to know how to use various styles of communication because you never know what someone’s background with knowledge of language is, or if they even had access to language.”

The internship also helped clarify her future career goals and how she can best serve others by taking the time to understand their personal experiences.

“I think it will most help with teaching me that everyone has a different story of their life,” Nixon says, “and it’s important to stay in the know and to have the ability to adapt to make that person feel the most comfortable and welcomed in any space.”

She also appreciates that she’s been able to have a paid job in her area of interest.

“In the past couple of years, I have had to take out loans and consistently think about what that will mean for my future debt,” she says. The internship allowed her to “finish my final year with not as much weight on my shoulders when it comes to financial burden, all while working in a field I really love.”