Mondesi (Walters) Kirkland ’18 graduated from Bethel University with a degree in sign language interpreting and came back one year later to serve as a staff interpreter – a job she’s loved for more than six years. Her role combines interpreting for Bethel’s Deaf faculty members, mentoring students, leading labs, coaching students as they prepare to interpret for chapel and plays, teaching a fundamentals of interpreting course and so much more.
“I strongly believe that God equips the called,” she says. “I’ve always had a love for Bethel and I think that comes out through my interpreting. This job is really unique in that I get to see students through their whole process.”
Kirkland herself was led to Bethel and Sign Language Interpreting through her experiences with Deaf students at their high school in Archbold, OH, and a student from her hometown who studied interpreting at Bethel before her. She had the opportunity to study Signing Exact English in high school and co-led a Deaf Bible study with middle and high school girls. When it came to choosing a college, Bethel was a top choice – especially because it’s one of only two colleges in Indiana with an interpreting program, but it was the campus visit that confirmed her decision.
“I felt very much at home at Bethel. This was where I wanted to be,” she says.
At Bethel, Kirkland continued to develop what she describes as her “Deaf heart,” a deep passion and love of the Deaf community she gets to serve. She also has a passion for sharing Jesus with the Deaf community. Now, discipling future interpreters comes as part of her job.
“For many freelance interpreting jobs, you show up to an assignment, and then you go back home,” she explains. “So, it’s really fun to be able to not only walk through the academic life of the student, but the spiritual life of the student … the conversations I get to have, praying over the students – all of that is really life-giving to me.”
One of her favorite things about her job is helping students develop foundational relationships with their Deaf professors as underclassmen. Kirkland gets to interpret lectures and the entirety of the Deaf Culture class.
“It’s really fun helping students get to know these amazing professors and building that relationship with them.”
Outside of work, Kirkland can be found hanging out with her husband Kevin, whom she met playing Wind Ensemble at Bethel, or snuggling with her dog Coco or reading a good book.
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- Mondesi, her husband Kevin and their sweet pup, Coco
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- The ASLID Staff
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- With theatre interpreting students for “Into The Woods” last fall
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- Mondesi and her mom Wendy
30 Years of Sign Language Interpreting
Bethel University is one of only three interpreting programs in the state of Indiana. Now in its 30th year, the program recently celebrated co-founder Dr. Elizabeth Beldon during a reunion as part of Homecoming Weekend in the fall of 2025. There, they launched a $20,000 fundraiser with the goal of raising funds to upgrade computers and lab equipment to help better equip interpreting students for their future careers. Once enough funds are raised, the lab will be named for Beldon, to honor her service to Bethel.