Trying to fade into the background

Interpreter of the Month: Hamideh Elhaei

This isn't Hamideh's ID photo. 

It is one of the many failed attempts at capturing Hamideh in an ID photo.  This is how Hamideh is most days--shy and quick to laugh.  Hamideh never, ever wants to be in the spotlight (in fact, she's probably going to kill me for posting this).   And like many good interpreters, she's happiest when she can do her job and people never notice that she's there.

Hamideh works the night shift, and more than once she has juggled two and three jobs come interpret for someone who needed her assistance.  No assignment is too large or too small for Hamideh.  "If they need me, I can go," she always says.

Most importantly, her compassionate heart is tempered with a fiery love of what is right.  While shy and reluctant to face confrontation, she also is brave and more than once has overcome her shyness to stand her ground ensure that someone got the care they needed. 

This month was a tough one for Hamideh, and she had many hard appointments that asked her to balance the interpreter Code of Ethics with pressures from the community.  She did well, but we know it wasn't easy.  We nominated her our Interpreter of the Month because we wanted to say "thank you" for all that she does and the heart that she puts into her work.  Thank you Hamideh; we see you!