Personal Essay
One single night changed the course of my life. A recent graduate from California State University, Chico, I was trying to find a promising career after graduation. I found myself sitting on my parents couch instead. I was discussing my future with my cousin, a middle school counselor who knew of my interest in communication. I had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Human Communication. Additionally, she knew I had considered teaching for a possible career, and recommended I look into communication disorders because of the relationship between children and education a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) encounters daily. It was the best advice I had ever received, and why I am applying to University of the Pacific’s Speech-Language Pathology 15-month graduate program. I want a career that has meaning and gives me the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives. I am a compassionate person …show more content…
It is not easy but it is very gratifying. Seeing my clients every week, providing strategies to elicit language, and helping the family unit communicate effectively with each other is what keeps me coming back. I know early intervention is unique because of the extent of parent involvement, but it is because of that reason I am motivated to continue this work. The majority of my caseload is culturally diverse. The country and communities we live in today, especially in California, are multicultural and multilingual. A practicing SLP will have to be culturally sensitive yet be able to target goals and produce results that fit the family. I am interested in learning more about how early dual-language learners that have language impairments acquire language and what intervention strategies are successful. Also, I would like to continue working with and learn the effectiveness of early intervention for children with
One single night changed the course of my life. A recent graduate from California State University, Chico, I was trying to find a promising career after graduation. I found myself sitting on my parents couch instead. I was discussing my future with my cousin, a middle school counselor who knew of my interest in communication. I had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Human Communication. Additionally, she knew I had considered teaching for a possible career, and recommended I look into communication disorders because of the relationship between children and education a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) encounters daily. It was the best advice I had ever received, and why I am applying to University of the Pacific’s Speech-Language Pathology 15-month graduate program. I want a career that has meaning and gives me the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives. I am a compassionate person …show more content…
It is not easy but it is very gratifying. Seeing my clients every week, providing strategies to elicit language, and helping the family unit communicate effectively with each other is what keeps me coming back. I know early intervention is unique because of the extent of parent involvement, but it is because of that reason I am motivated to continue this work. The majority of my caseload is culturally diverse. The country and communities we live in today, especially in California, are multicultural and multilingual. A practicing SLP will have to be culturally sensitive yet be able to target goals and produce results that fit the family. I am interested in learning more about how early dual-language learners that have language impairments acquire language and what intervention strategies are successful. Also, I would like to continue working with and learn the effectiveness of early intervention for children with