Biography:
I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I am the oldest child out of three children.  I attended Union High School, and graduated in 2004.  God, family and friends are extremely important in my life.  When I’m not in class, I enjoy watching movies (especially musicals…I know cheesy right?), reading, knitting, and cooking.  I also LOVE traveling.  I dream of going to Austria and the Mediterranean someday.

What do you like most about the College of Allied Health?
What I like the most about the College of Allied Health is the size of the classes.  Your classmates and you become very close because you see the same people on a day-to-day basis.  You almost have an extended family within your classmates.  Also, the professors are extremely approachable, and willing to assist you in anyway they can. 

What or who inspired you to go into Communication Sciences and Disorders? 
My mother is a special education teacher, and she would always mention how wonderful the Speech-Language Pathologists were to her students.  During my freshman year of college, I enrolled in a course that consisted of guest speakers coming to talk about the different degree programs within the College of Allied Health.  When the guest speaker from Communication Sciences and Disorders came, I knew instantly that a career in the field of Speech-Language Pathology was for me.  Since then, my family, especially my grandmother, have been extremely supportive of me, which makes all the difference in the world.

What has been your biggest challenge in the program?
My biggest challenge has been time management and scheduling.  Sometimes it’s hard to manage your personal life with your school life, but somehow it always works out!  Just stay organized and focused on your education, and everything will fall into place!

If you could go back before you got accepted into this program, is there anything that you would do differently and if so, what would it be?
I would probably have tried to study abroad.  I love hearing stories from people who studied abroad, and I think it is an excellent way to grow as a person and learn about different cultures. 

What advice do you have for prospective students who may be thinking about going into Communication Sciences and Disorders?
 If there are any questions you have about the program, I think it helps to ask students who are currently in the program.  The students within the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders are extremely willing to help prospective students decide if this field is right for them.  I would also recommend doing some research about the different opportunities you can have within this field.  There are a variety of work settings where we can work once we have completed graduate school.  The research I did about the different work settings available to Speech-Language Pathologists helped me decide that this field was right for me!

Added to student spotlight: October 4, 2007