Melissa S. Draganac-Hawk, ’98 & G-’01
2011 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award
Melissa S. Draganac Hawk, ’98 & G-’01, has accomplished more in 13 years than many people do in a
lifetime, and has done so on local, regional, national, and international stages.
Melissa is a first-generation American. She was born to deaf immigrant Peruvian parents, and attended
Lexington School for the Deaf in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. Upon graduation in 1992, she
enrolled at Gallaudet University, earning degrees in American Sign Language and Theatre Arts in 1998.
She was class president for two years and served as Student Body Government vice president for one
year. She was also involved in several Gallaudet and community dramatic and video presentations.
After graduation, Melissa spent one year as an instructor and trainer working with deaf, hard of hearing,
and hearing people in Mysore, India. From 2000 to 2003, she was a member of the Salk Institute
American Sign Language Research Group. While studying for her master’s degree in linguistics at
Gallaudet, she received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Her work
experience includes teaching at several colleges, including Gallaudet University; Augustana College in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where she created a bachelor’s degree program in interpreting and a minor in
sign language studies; Mesa College in San Diego, California; Community College of Philadelphia; and
the University of Pennsylvania. She also served for three years as executive director of Deaf Women
United, and for four years on that organization’s board, including two years as president.
Currently, Melissa is an American Sign Language specialist at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and
an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She serves on the Board of Directors of the
National Association of the Deaf, and as president of the National Council of Hispano Deaf and Hard of
Hearing. She is a member of the American Sign Language Teachers Association and the Linguistic
Society of America.
Melissa impresses everyone she meets with her intelligence, her quick grasp of arcane subjects, her ability
to plan and organize, and her ability to manage multiple tasks and get things done. She is a dynamic
presenter, a talented performer. Many who attended the 50 th biennial conference of the National
Association of the Deaf in July 2010 in Philadelphia remember her larger-than-life role as Betsy Ross
during the opening ceremonies.
In recognition of what she has done to date, and in anticipation of even greater accomplishments, the
Gallaudet University Alumni Association congratulates Melissa S. Draganac-Hawk, ’98 & G-’01, and
bestows upon her the 2011 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award.
April 9, 2011