Personal Statement: A Career As A Speech-Language Pathologist

Today’s speech pathologists are faced with many challenges. However, the field of speech therapy is unique in that when the speech pathologist overcomes a challenges is more often that not a significant triumph in the patients life. It is of massive importance for speech therapist have the following traits good interpersonal skills, the ability to take another’s perspective and problem solving skills.

The opportunity to observe the work overview of a Speech Pathologist, has tremendously solidified my interest in this field. At the Diana Rogovin Speech Center at Brooklyn College, I observed clients of various ages with different speech language disorders including articulation, language, voice, fluency and accent modification. Observing clinicians at the speech center gave me the opportunity to learn how important client-clinician interaction is for the session and how essential it is to build a good relationship with the client. Although I learned the

Upon first entering college, I struggled deciding at such a young age what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Through babysitting and volunteering with pre-school aged children at my church and through a school program called STARS, it became evident to me I had a love for helping children. It fascinated me to see how they viewed the world around them and how quickly they learned new truths everyday. Nevertheless, I knew I would not get the full enjoyment interacting with children as a schoolteacher because the teacher to student ratio is so large. Classroom demands would make it much more difficult to devot individualized attention to each student, and I did not like that concept. So

I am Samantha Peterson, as a child I was taught to be independent in my beliefs and to always follow my heart wherever it led me. I have always been one to go after what I want and never give up until my dreams are fulfilled. I plan to finish my associate degree at AB Tech and transfer to Western Carolina. I plan to graduate from Western Carolina with a master’s degree in speech pathology. Once I complete this phase in my life I hope to pursue my career and start a family of my own. To begin my career, I hope to still be employed at Mission Hospital, but as a speech pathologist rather than a medical assistant. As a speech pathologist I hope to make life changing improvements in people’s everyday lives that I cross paths with. While beginning

From being diagnosed at a young age with dyslexia and apraxia of the speech, I am not sure where I would be without the help and encouragement of my speech pathologists. ‘Speech-language pathologists assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent communication and swallowing disorders in patients’ (Summary, www.bls.org, 2015). Along with helping their patients overcome or learn how to understand their disorders, speech pathologists must keep records.

In the profession of speech-language pathology, there are a variety of settings and clients with diverse needs to work with. One is able to work with not only children, but people of all age groups. Throughout my undergraduate program, I was able to gain the necessary skills in order to write professional reports for both medical and educational settings. The principles of formulating goals, establishing effective communication skills, and being flexible with your clients were among the many important skills I

When I began my undergraduate career in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at UNT, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But after taking a handful of classes, I was excited to find out that the major had many interesting aspects to it, including my favorite; science. After being in the program for a year, speech therapy began to grow on me more and more. Not only was I fortunate enough to actually enjoy something blindly chosen, but for once in my life I was beginning to feel passionate about

Currently, there is an increased demand for Speech-language Pathologist’ who are able to provide effective therapy to the diverse multicultural population. To work effectively within the multicultural setting, a speech-language pathologist should be prepared to offer services and work with individuals from a variety of different backgrounds. The individuals within the population of people who seek/need speech therapy speak different languages and dialects, are of different races, cultures, and socioeconomic status. However, when working with distinctive individuals there are both benefits and challenges.

The student writing this personal statement will not be the same student a week, month or year from now. This is due to my commitment to continual personal and professional growth and development. This commitment to life long learning, as well as my passion for helping people, is the why behind every single one of my waking moments. I look forward to a career in Speech Language Pathology because the profession is constantly evolving and there is always more to learn. I look forward to staying current and developing mentoring relationships within the profession, as well as developing strong bonds within the community.

The speech pathologist that I interviewed name is Kari Unterbug and she works in an elementary school. To become a speech pathologist one needs to get a bachelor and master degree. After someone gets both of their degrees they need to take a test to get their certification to become a speech pathologist. Being a speech pathologist with children comes with a lot of benefits including working with the students, helping them communicate, and building good relationships. The one challenge that comes with the job is the paperwork if you do not stay on top of it. I want to work with children just like Unterbug and I can start to work on my skills with children now. I am a nanny and I love to babysit children and play with them. Doing this now before I go into speech pathology can help me know some of the things I will be doing with children in the future. If someone does not know what age group they want to teach they can look at all of the different age groups and find out which they like the most. There are a lot of

My future education goal is to major in Communication Sciences and Disorders and attend graduate school to become a Speech Language Pathologist. I also plan to travel throughout college and learn more about different cultures. Through the various short term abroad mission trips and local volunteering at the Place of Hope, I have discovered that education happens inside and outside of a classroom. Throughout my time in college, I hope to study abroad and continue to learn more about other cultures and the world that is around me. I believe that those who travel have a better grasp about what goes on in our world. By being more aware about the world, it creates a more grateful attitude and the desire for equality.

When did your speech problem begin? How has the speech sound disorder affected your daily life? In what way has your speech sound disorder affected friendships or relationships? How did the speech sound disorder affect the outcome of your education?

My purpose in entering the program is to not only fulfil my dreams and purpose in life, but more importantly, it is to help as many individuals as possible with speech-language and swallowing disorders. I want to be a part of making a difference in those with communication disorders and be able to help them reach their fullest potential. My involvement as a student, a tutor, volunteer, an observer, and a SLPA has not only confirmed my love for a career in speech pathology, but it has also provided me with essential information. I intend to provide superb and effective strategies to those who suffer from communications disorders. I plan on extending my help not just to my patients, but also to the less fortunate that are unable to pay for such services. My passion for this major and my ambitions motivate me to become a successful and effective speech pathologist. I aim on guiding individuals with an invigorating view to improve and further develop socially and academically.

My passion for Speech Language Pathology developed later than most of my peers. I was naive enough freshmen year to think that I could settle as a Psychology major. Thankfully, Speech Pathology crossed right into my path at the most unforeseen moment. One introduction class was all it took, I was hooked. I’ve been exposed to first-hand clinical experiences, job shadowing opportunities, and professors who were so passionate about their job that they made me want to experience the same thing.

I’ve always had a passion to work with children. I decided to pursue Speech Language Pathology because I want the reward of assisting children overcome their speech insecurities. I am determined to gain the skills and knowledge, from the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at UF, that will prepare me for a master's program in Speech Language Pathology. I hope to learn how to evaluate speech, language, and hearing disorders by having the needed knowledge of the anatomy of hearing and speech mechanisms. This is a demanding field and it will be a rewarding experience to work in the language therapy field.