Student Talks with Walker in Sign Language

Automotive student Amber Davis attended Gov. Scott Walker's visit Thursday to Gateway's Kenosha campus to see what a visit from the governor was like and ended up in a conversation with him.

What makes the conversation noteworthy is that Davis is deaf and she talked with Walker using sign language.

"I heard from my professor that they were having that event and that the governor was coming ... (we were) told to help ourselves to check it out,"she told Patch. "I had never seen or been to any of those political events so I was like, 'Why not,' because I'm curious."

Walker was at GTC to announce that Kenall Manufacturing in Gurnee, IL, will relocate to Kenosha. Davis is an Automotive Technician/Mechanic student who loves to work with her hands and isn't afraid to get dirty.

"I grew up so interested in cars and watching my father do some work on his 1965 Mustang Fastback and work on lawnmowers," she said. "I've got three family members that do Midget racing. I guess it's in my blood."

Davis sat in the second row with some of her classmates, and after Walker was done speaking, wandered over to meet him with her interpreter.

"I had the interpreter ready to translate for me and (Walker) finger-spelled 'Hi,'" she continued. "I said, 'You know sign language? How cool,' and he said he knew a little bit."

Walker told Davis he grew up in Delavan with neighbors who were deaf and hard-of-hearing so he picked up sign language through them. She also said the governor held his own pretty well and they needed minimal participation from the interpreter.

This was Davis' first time meeting Walker, and she came away with a favorable impression.

"He is very nice, very cool and has an open mind," she said. "I met him and found out that he is actually a nice, caring guy."