Abbey Howell

Associate in Arts

Abbey Howell was born and raised in the Yakima Valley. She graduated from Selah High School in 2013. Following graduation, she worked a series of retail jobs, averaging over 50 hours per week. Wanting to make a change, she enrolled at YVC in the fall of 2015.

Early in her education she met another student who would help shape her future. The student, who is deaf, became one of her best friends. Their experiences together made Howell realize that she wanted to be involved with the deaf culture. This friendship coupled with mentorship from YVC’s American Sign Language (ASL) instructor Tracy Croshaw helped her move forward with her education.

“Once I met Tracy and had a connection it opened up a whole new world,” stated Howell. “The deaf community is not something that everyone understands. I would like to help advocate for them and use my hearing privilege to do something good,” she continued.

She serves as president of the ASL club and is a member of the veteran’s club and a former member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Outside the classroom she is a tutor working with YVC’s Tutoring Center. She helps students with a variety of subjects including mathematics, ASL, political science, anthropology, philosophy and logic, and English. She also works as a sales associate for TJ Maxx. Wanting to help give back to the community, Howell is a member of TJ Maxx’s community service group. As a member of this group she helps organize different fundraising events.

She graduates this June with an associate in arts degree. She hopes to transfer four-year university and earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work. Ultimately, she would like to become a licensed clinical social worker and certified ASL interpreter.