All of my perspective graduate schools have asked for a general personal statement in the application for their speech pathology programs. Tell me what you think?
Having witnessed my sister overcome an auditory processing disorder and a concomitant learning disability, I know the personal impact of impaired communication and the value of a skilled speech pathologist. Diagnosed at age 6 and declassified as a special education student in 6th grade, my sister's progress would not have been possible without the dedication of her audiologist and speech pathologist. It was then that I first became interested in the field of communicative disorders.
Language learning is a lifelong journey that affects individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Throughout my undergraduate career, I have made it a priority to gain experience with a wide variety of clients and age groups in order to hone the population that I am best suited to working with. My clinical experience has allowed me to conduct therapy in the adult, school-aged, and bilingual populations in both one-on-one and group therapy settings. Beyond my required observation hours, I have observed 20 additional hours of early intervention and preschool therapy at a local KidStart program. I have also gained experience with the elderly population as a volunteer at the Teresa House comfort care home in Geneseo. During this past summer, I challenged myself as a clinician as a speech-pathology intern in Costa Rica.
My experience in bilingual and Spanish speech therapy as an intern at La ClĂnica de Desarrollo has solidified my desire to work with intellectually- and developmentally-disabled adults after witnessing therapy with an adult female client. This client was a survivor of a stroke and brain aneurysm that left her with severely damaged verbal and motor skills. It was remarkable to witness how the client's motivation to succeed matched the devotion of the clinician. Clinic director and speech therapist Dr. Rina Martinez Gross has held half-hour therapy sessions with the client every day for the last five years in the client's home and has witnessed astonishing progress in the client's language abilities. The commitment and dedication of both parties to the improvement of speech and language skills was truly inspiring and further shaped my chosen career path.
Majoring in speech-pathology and studying Spanish as a secondary major has allowed me to simultaneously acquire skills to help those with language difficulties while overcoming the associated difficulties of acquiring a second language myself. In many ways, this has created a depth of patience and compassion with my clients. Bilingual knowledge has also proved to make me a more versatile clinician. When I was assigned a Deaf bilingual adult client in my second semester of clinic, my Spanish language skills allowed me to better judge her speech errors and created a more efficient therapy process tailored to her needs. I hope to eventually utilize these skills to obtain bilingual certification in speech pathology.
After three years of undergraduate study in speech pathology, I have found that each population and age group has allowed me to sharpen a different clinical skill on the path to becoming a well-rounded clinician. Children have developed my patience and creativity, adult clients have cultivated my enthusiasm and passion for my field of study, and the elderly have taught me the importance of treating every client with dignity and respect. I look forward to broadening my skills and continuing to grow as a clinician in a graduate program.
Having witnessed my sister overcome an auditory processing disorder and a concomitant learning disability, I know the personal impact of impaired communication and the value of a skilled speech pathologist. Diagnosed at age 6 and declassified as a special education student in 6th grade, my sister's progress would not have been possible without the dedication of her audiologist and speech pathologist. It was then that I first became interested in the field of communicative disorders.
Language learning is a lifelong journey that affects individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Throughout my undergraduate career, I have made it a priority to gain experience with a wide variety of clients and age groups in order to hone the population that I am best suited to working with. My clinical experience has allowed me to conduct therapy in the adult, school-aged, and bilingual populations in both one-on-one and group therapy settings. Beyond my required observation hours, I have observed 20 additional hours of early intervention and preschool therapy at a local KidStart program. I have also gained experience with the elderly population as a volunteer at the Teresa House comfort care home in Geneseo. During this past summer, I challenged myself as a clinician as a speech-pathology intern in Costa Rica.
My experience in bilingual and Spanish speech therapy as an intern at La ClĂnica de Desarrollo has solidified my desire to work with intellectually- and developmentally-disabled adults after witnessing therapy with an adult female client. This client was a survivor of a stroke and brain aneurysm that left her with severely damaged verbal and motor skills. It was remarkable to witness how the client's motivation to succeed matched the devotion of the clinician. Clinic director and speech therapist Dr. Rina Martinez Gross has held half-hour therapy sessions with the client every day for the last five years in the client's home and has witnessed astonishing progress in the client's language abilities. The commitment and dedication of both parties to the improvement of speech and language skills was truly inspiring and further shaped my chosen career path.
Majoring in speech-pathology and studying Spanish as a secondary major has allowed me to simultaneously acquire skills to help those with language difficulties while overcoming the associated difficulties of acquiring a second language myself. In many ways, this has created a depth of patience and compassion with my clients. Bilingual knowledge has also proved to make me a more versatile clinician. When I was assigned a Deaf bilingual adult client in my second semester of clinic, my Spanish language skills allowed me to better judge her speech errors and created a more efficient therapy process tailored to her needs. I hope to eventually utilize these skills to obtain bilingual certification in speech pathology.
After three years of undergraduate study in speech pathology, I have found that each population and age group has allowed me to sharpen a different clinical skill on the path to becoming a well-rounded clinician. Children have developed my patience and creativity, adult clients have cultivated my enthusiasm and passion for my field of study, and the elderly have taught me the importance of treating every client with dignity and respect. I look forward to broadening my skills and continuing to grow as a clinician in a graduate program.