He talks with his hands on the court... and off the court, Josh Koets

“It was love at first sign,” said Olympic College sophomore Josh Koets.
 But American Sign Language has become something even more for the 20-year-old from Bremerton.
Once he finishes his associate degree this year, he said he hopes to study at either Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. or at Western Oregon University.
“Hopefully after two years I can get my interpreting degree,” said Koets. “I want to make a career out of it hopefully.”
Koets now volunteers as a teaching assistant for OC Bremerton’s resident ASL instructor, Maril Elliott.
“I’m with her from Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to usually about 3 p.m. right before (basketball) practice,” said Koets.
It was by chance that Koets became involved with ASL.
“To be honest, I needed another class one quarter, and it seemed like an easy ‘A’,” Koets said.
His mother had taken the class previously so he decided to give it a shot.
“I ended up falling in love with the language, which was pretty cool for me,” said Koets.
Growing up, Koets and his mother, Christina, moved around a lot. Though Koets was born in Hawaii, they moved to New Mexico when he was 4 years old, followed by Orlando, Bremerton, Key West and back to Bremerton at age 15.
With his father absent, Koets said he looked up to his mother.
“She usually plays both roles – mother and father. And she does both of them pretty damn well,” Koets said.
While she always pressed him on the importance of getting his education, Koets said his mother also encouraged his passion to be on the court.
“She would always tell me that if I loved the game, I couldn’t leave it,” said Koets.
She has also been a strong supporter of his involvement in ASL, as well as his work with last year’s Pink Prom, a dance organized by the Gay Straight Alliance.
However, even with gay family members and a desire to help that cause any way he can, Koets said he was unsure whether to be a part of the event.
“I was a little bit nervous because I was like, you know, what are people going to think,” Koets said. “My mom was like, ‘you kind of have to. For all the things your uncles have done for you, to say that you’re not willing to stand up to anyone who had anything to say about it, was kind of a slap in the face.’”
Koets saw the experience as a great way to give back to kids who had things taken away from them.
“It was kind of a wake-up call, because I had taken for granted all the things that I had had myself,” said Koets. “Like prom … everybody had had it, but then you realize not everyone had it.”
After university, Koets said he wants to take time to travel and experience other places before returning to the Pacific Northwest.
“Seattle is a very accessible city for deaf people, said Koets. “There’s a shortage on interpreters – good interpreters at least – so there will always be a job.”
Though wanting a change in atmosphere while young, he said he looks at the Bremerton area as a place to settle down with a family later in life.
“The northwest will be my final destination, my final stop on the road trip that is my life.”