Why I Became a Speech Therapist

In preschool, they thought I was colorblind because I couldn’t learn my colors. They soon came to find out I just didn’t care about learning my colors. However, they informed my parents that I did a great job riding my bike at recess. Also that I played well with a mentally disabled student that other students ignored.

Then in elementary school, I was placed in the lowest reading group. I was so far behind that my parents scraped up the money to pay a private reading tutor once a week to work on my reading skills with me. I remember dreading going to the reading specialist. I dreaded it so much that one day I had head lice and was SO excited because that meant I didn’t have to go to the reading tutor that day.

When I got to high school I started to volunteer in our emotionally disturbed classroom. The teacher assigned me to help a young man who was struggling in school. I helped him with whatever homework he needed help with. Then when we were done we would play board games together and talk about life. One day the teacher came up to me and asked me if I had ever considered something like this as a profession. I was surprised by his comment and said, “no”. He then told me that I should think about it and that I made a real difference in the young man’s life.

It was my senior year of high school when I decided I wanted to become a speech-language pathologist. After knowing what it was like to struggle with something, such as reading and having to see a specialist I wanted to help other students who also struggled with learning.

I then went on to get my undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from the University of Oregon. I then continued on further to get my masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Nova Southeastern University.

This is currently my tenth year working as a Speech-Language Pathologist. I have worked in the elementary, middle and high school settings. Currently, I am working in a high school setting.

I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing profession. I feel like I truly get to make a difference in the lives of students who are struggling in some area of learning. It is so rewarding to watch your students learn and grow.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

I want to hear from you. Who or what got you into the profession of speech therapy?