In 2020, AV Alum Kyra Britto arrived at Amador as the new American Sign Language (ASL) teacher. Today, she’s known for inspiring her students with her commitment to spreading awareness on deaf culture.

Although ASL was a class while Britto attended Amador, her journey to being an ASL teacher didn’t start back then. In high school, her main activity was being involved in theater.

“ASL was offered, but I didn’t take it, which I regret very much. As a student, I was always in the spring musical every year, and I took part in any drama event,” said Britto. 

Finding Passion

Coming out of high school, Britto had no clue what career path she wanted to pursue. Upon graduation, she enrolled at Las Positas College, where she took her first ASL class and developed an interest for it right away. 

“I knew that I wanted to go into the ASL field because it was my passion, and I had so many deaf friends that encouraged me,” said Britto. 

After a few years, she enrolled at Sacramento State University and decided deaf studies would be her major. At the time, Britto was prepared for a career as an interpreter. After getting more exposure to the field, her interests changed.

“I went to Western Oregon University to study interpreting. It was there I realized interpreting wasn’t for me, and I decided to get into teaching and got my credentials,” said Britto.

Teaching at Amador

When Britto was hired as the new ASL teacher at Amador, she had to adjust to being a teacher at a place where she once learned. 

“The kids are far more politically aware nowadays and have allowed themselves to expand their knowledge of other cultures far better than back then. The school has also become much more diverse, where it was primarily white when I went. It’s awesome to see the kids have so many friends from different areas and cultures. The only knock is the campus has become far more dirty since I was here,” said Britto.

Spending so much time at Amador over the years, Britto has developed a strong understanding of the school’s environment. In her eyes, the friendly and inclusive atmosphere she experiences is what makes her job as a teacher so enjoyable.

“The major difference from when I was a kid versus now is that I want to be at Amador as a teacher, but I didn’t want to when I was a student. I love being around the kids now when I teach. You guys make me so happy,” said Britto.