At the age of 6, I learned English in school when I lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Surrounded by a labyrinth of books and films in many different languages, I have been raised to explore the diversity of sounds and writing systems of the world. When I arrived to the United States, I became a Spanish language consultant for my newfound friends. In exchange, I was taught the Korean alphabet and practiced intensively in joy of learning a new communication tool. I have since then become a polygot and I aspire to become a multilingual Speech-Language Pathologist, to provide services to all populations in need that are impeded by linguistic and cultural barriers.
When I first started studying Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, my main goal was to become a clinical psychologist. However, I realized soon after that it was not the field for me. I worked with Dr. Arthur Kramer examining the neurocognitive effects of exercise in elder populations through fMRI and discovered my skill as a researcher. I joined Dr. Susan Garnsey's team in 2011, working in the field of neurolinguistics using EEG technology. My involvement in research led to my writing an undergraduate thesis comparing English, Mandarin and Japanese classifiers on neurocognitive processing to submit for thesis distinction. Although research continues to be a strong suit for me, I still desired to provide language and speech related services to people. I became a conversational partner and eventually an intern at the Intensive English Institute. I witnessed a language exchange between a Chinese student and an American student with cerebral palsy, despite her articulation errors. This inspired me to volunteer at the Special Recreation Center for children with developmental disabilities. Through this experience I learned about the use of ASL and PECS to communicate with students who are challenged with speech and language difficulties. In educational settings in particular, I noticed the diversity of students and the lack of specialists to attend their needs due to linguistic and cultural barriers. During this time, I learned that my dad was recently diagnosed with oropharyngeal dysphagia. With many doctors looking over his case, I have opened up to the medical side using my past experiences in neuroscience research to grasp a better understanding of his condition and many others. I volunteered in Clark Linsey to open up to diverse experiences with elderly populations, in which I met a previously Spanish-English bilingual patient who had lost her second language entirely to progressive aphasia, a symptom of dementia. The support of her family convinced me to fill the cultural gap in the field.
I have faced challenges early in my college career but with hard work and determination I have succeeded, getting selected in the Dean's List several times. With a heavy coursework load and numerous extracurricular responsibilities, I have proven to be ready for the challenges of graduate coursework and clinical work to come once selected for the Master's program. Upon researching the Master's program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and reading research literature by Dr. Johanne Paradis and Dr. Rice, I have found similar research interests with Dr. Pamela Hadley in early identification of Specific Language Impairment for a Master's thesis. This program has the best opportunities for me with its clinical mentoring model to work for the multicultural community I've been involved with for years. I strongly support evidence-based practice, which the program promotes, mostly due to my strong involvement in research during my undergraduate years. Finally, I have formed many connections with the Psychology and Linguistics Department that have educated me in different ways I can contribute to the study and therapy practices in Speech-Language Pathology. Once I get my Master's degree, I intend to pursue a PhD in the future and become an estimated researcher and therapist in the field.
When I first started studying Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, my main goal was to become a clinical psychologist. However, I realized soon after that it was not the field for me. I worked with Dr. Arthur Kramer examining the neurocognitive effects of exercise in elder populations through fMRI and discovered my skill as a researcher. I joined Dr. Susan Garnsey's team in 2011, working in the field of neurolinguistics using EEG technology. My involvement in research led to my writing an undergraduate thesis comparing English, Mandarin and Japanese classifiers on neurocognitive processing to submit for thesis distinction. Although research continues to be a strong suit for me, I still desired to provide language and speech related services to people. I became a conversational partner and eventually an intern at the Intensive English Institute. I witnessed a language exchange between a Chinese student and an American student with cerebral palsy, despite her articulation errors. This inspired me to volunteer at the Special Recreation Center for children with developmental disabilities. Through this experience I learned about the use of ASL and PECS to communicate with students who are challenged with speech and language difficulties. In educational settings in particular, I noticed the diversity of students and the lack of specialists to attend their needs due to linguistic and cultural barriers. During this time, I learned that my dad was recently diagnosed with oropharyngeal dysphagia. With many doctors looking over his case, I have opened up to the medical side using my past experiences in neuroscience research to grasp a better understanding of his condition and many others. I volunteered in Clark Linsey to open up to diverse experiences with elderly populations, in which I met a previously Spanish-English bilingual patient who had lost her second language entirely to progressive aphasia, a symptom of dementia. The support of her family convinced me to fill the cultural gap in the field.
I have faced challenges early in my college career but with hard work and determination I have succeeded, getting selected in the Dean's List several times. With a heavy coursework load and numerous extracurricular responsibilities, I have proven to be ready for the challenges of graduate coursework and clinical work to come once selected for the Master's program. Upon researching the Master's program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and reading research literature by Dr. Johanne Paradis and Dr. Rice, I have found similar research interests with Dr. Pamela Hadley in early identification of Specific Language Impairment for a Master's thesis. This program has the best opportunities for me with its clinical mentoring model to work for the multicultural community I've been involved with for years. I strongly support evidence-based practice, which the program promotes, mostly due to my strong involvement in research during my undergraduate years. Finally, I have formed many connections with the Psychology and Linguistics Department that have educated me in different ways I can contribute to the study and therapy practices in Speech-Language Pathology. Once I get my Master's degree, I intend to pursue a PhD in the future and become an estimated researcher and therapist in the field.
