By Leah Fielding

She’s been called by her students one of the best sign-language interpreters in the state, and they said Northeastern is losing a legend.

Melissa Foster, 17-year associate director of staff development/lead interpreter with the deaf services unit of Disabilities Resource Center, said it’s time for new challenges and opportunities.

“It’s sort of like I’m graduating too,” she said.

Foster said she has come full circle, starting in 1990 and leaving her full-time job in early May to once again freelance.

She started interpreting in the 1980s in Chicago after first hearing about a sign language class at a local library. She attended and was hooked, she said.

A trained vocal musician, Foster received her degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

During the years, she said she interpreted classes for dozens of students and rose to the ranks of lead interpreter, as well as watched her four sons, ages 22 to 28, graduate from Northeastern.

“I really feel I helped build a great deaf services team,” she said.

The program’s Associate Director David Del Pizzo is proof.

Del Pizzo started as a Northeastern student in 1996 and Foster was one of the first interpreters he worked with. For the past few years, he has served a vital role in Deaf Services.

“He’s a real mover and shaker in the deaf community,” Foster said.

While Foster was still working full-time, she and Del Pizzo split the duties, which included scheduling other interpreters, budgeting and payroll. Now Del Pizzo does this alone.

In an interview that Foster interpreted, Del Pizzo said he ensures relations between the administration, student body and Deaf Services stay “positive.”

Del Pizzo also dealt with the fall-out when Foster announced she was leaving her position.

“Some students understood, some students had a hard time accepting it and others are still struggling with it,” he said. “I had to say, ‘Wow, calm down.'”

One of Foster’s students, Wesley Ireland, a pharmacy major, said he is concerned going into his fifth year, facing “hard-core science” classes, without her. Ireland was interviewed online because an interpreter was not available.

“I had her interpret for most of my way up to where I am,” Ireland said. “It’s important to have some well-qualified interpreters for pharmacy courses and Melissa is one of my top preferences.”

Ireland said what makes Foster a great interpreter is her willingness to learn the course material and understand and interpret it.

“She usually reads the material of the course ahead of time and tries to understand terminology and would often ask her husband and son, since they are in the science fields for any clarifications,” he said. “Not bad for a music major.”

Del Pizzo added that Foster has a great ability to match language preferences to students and work between sign language and spoken language.

Outside the classroom, Foster was a mother figure and friend to many students.

“Melissa was comfortable enough to be straight with them if they needed advice,” Del Pizzo said.

Ireland said he sometimes thought of her as his “second mom.” At the same time though, she is “chill and straightforward,” he said.

Foster still works at Northeastern on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, helping two students. Going from working with upward of six students a week plus administrative work to two students a week is a well-deserved break, Foster said.

“I’m ready to have a little more control of my time,” she said.

What she said she will do with that time: the Traverso. She said she has been playing the Baroque wooden-flute for several years and is looking to continue. She will also attend what she said her sons call “band camp,” the Amherst Early Music Baroque Academy.

Foster said she is also looking forward to interpreting for agencies and communities, which means for Northeastern, she won’t be completely gone.

“I’m trying to book her in advance,” Del Pizzo said.