Faculty and Staff Specialized Services

Pia Etchegoin

Pia Etchegoin (She/Her, Ms.) – Speech Language Pathologist

Hello! I am Pia and I am the luckiest person to be a part of this incredible school! I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 20 I took off and began an opportunity that changed my life where I worked and traveled around the world homeschooling two young Australian girls. We lived in the most amazing places around the world including the USA, Europe, Australia and Asia. After two years of this incredible journey, I settled in California where I decided to go back to school and finish my bachelors degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorder and Minor in Special Education. As a lifelong learner, I continued my education and I finished my Masters Degree in Speech and Language Pathology in early 2022. Early in my college days I stumbled across a class that shaped the future of my career – American Sign Language (ASL) 1. After taking ASL 1, 2 and 3 there was no doubt how much I loved it and how much I wanted to continue to pursue a career in this field. I feel so lucky to continue to grow as a professional and as a person with NWSDHH and learn from the incredible staff here.

In my free time, I love gardening, going to the beach and hiking with my friends and family! I also love traveling around the world and visiting my family and friends in Argentina (which I can’t wait to be able to do again!).

Sign name: “E” tapping the heart

Other languages: Native Spanish, English, American Sign Language

Alisa George

Alisa George (She/Her, Mrs.) – Coordinator of Sign Language Instruction

I knew from my first class that signing was what I wanted to do. I was born and raised in California and took my first Signing Exact English (S.E.E.) classes in 1996 from the S.E.E. Center. Then, in 1998, I continued on to Golden West College to complete my interpreting credential. Since graduating in 2000, I have been employed full time as a S.E.E. professional. As an interpreter I have worked at both the elementary and junior high school levels. I am ESSE certified by the S.E.E. Center as an interpreter and instructor.

My passion is working with families and instilling confidence in communicating with their children. For over 15 years now I have been teaching S.E.E. classes exclusively for Family Conversations and Northwest School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children. I teach classes at various levels from beginning through advanced. I am also an instructor with the S.E.E. Center and teach at statewide workshops. My husband and I are raising two very imaginative boys. We are fun-loving family that can be found running around Disneyland or enjoying all things Star Wars.

Sign name: “A” like “smile”

Ailsa Stewart

Ailsa Stewart (She/Her, Ms.) – Audiologist

I have been an Audiologist for over 15 years and love working with the students and staff at Northwest School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children! We work together as a team to support students with their amplification devices and ensure they are always getting the best sound quality at school. I am also part of the IEP teams, working with families to ensure we have an accurate picture of how each child’s hearing impacts their education. I’m lucky to work at NWSDHH and spend the rest of my time with my two kids. My family moved from Australia a few years ago, we love to get out and about exploring this beautiful part of the world and meeting the people of the Pacific Northwest.

Sign name: “S” that circles the ear like “audiology”