Hi everyone! I am applying to graduate school for speech-language pathology and I would love feedback on my first two paragraphs of my personal statement. Any suggestions/corrections will be greatly appreciated!
Four years ago, my Uncle Kenny slipped on the stairs at work and bashed his head against the cement floor, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Waking up to a whole new life, he believed that he would never be able to coordinate the left side of his body, become attentive to his left visual space, or speak effectively again. He suffered from intracranial hemorrhage in his right temporal and parietal lobes leading to cognitive and communication deficits along with homozygous hemianopsia. It was obvious that he had a long road ahead of him with countless hours of therapy and recovery. I could see the frustration building in my Uncle. It was disheartening to watch a man forty years older than I am struggle to find the simplest conversational speech or not understand why his half picture of a clock was incorrect. Therapy session after therapy session, he progressed exceedingly well. His Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) is still to this day his lifesaver, bringing him to what he thought was impossible to living his life again. Watching his journey to recovery has truly been an amazing experience, which is what guided my decision to pursue Speech Language Pathology. I felt for my Uncle and found myself intrigued by his therapy. From then on I just wanted to learn more. From children developing communication skills to the concept of swallowing to the diagnosis of adult disorders. I just wanted to learn more.
To enhance my knowledge and to gain experience related to the profession, I have been a clinical assistant at our University of New Hampshire (UNH) Speech-Language-Hearing Center (SLHC), volunteered for Seacoast Reads and became a teacher's assistant for numerous American Sign Language (ASL) courses. As a clinical assistant, I work with an eight-year-old girl on improving her fluency. I plan, create, and present activities that correspond to her fluency treatment each week, along with collecting and utilizing client data for clinical documentation. When volunteering for the Seacoast Reads program, I would travel to elementary schools to help children in both individual and group settings to increase proficiency in reading and writing, as well as encourage them to have a love for reading and to develop self-confidence. When I was a teacher's assistant for ASL I assisted the coordinator and instructor in furthering student understanding of ASL, as well as coordinating study groups and providing individual tutoring for students outside of class. In addition, I worked with children at the UNH Child Study and Development Center to teach ASL to infants. These experiences were rewarding, fulfilling, and have increased my desire to pursue Speech Language Pathology. I have obtained skills that are important to the field, including working in a variety of settings, working with a range of ages, tailoring instruction with individuals specifically to their needs, and learned how to build a lesson plan while being flexible to obstacles that arise. Not only have I obtained skills, these experiences have provided me with confidence and knowledge that will guide me towards my future in a professional environment.
Four years ago, my Uncle Kenny slipped on the stairs at work and bashed his head against the cement floor, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Waking up to a whole new life, he believed that he would never be able to coordinate the left side of his body, become attentive to his left visual space, or speak effectively again. He suffered from intracranial hemorrhage in his right temporal and parietal lobes leading to cognitive and communication deficits along with homozygous hemianopsia. It was obvious that he had a long road ahead of him with countless hours of therapy and recovery. I could see the frustration building in my Uncle. It was disheartening to watch a man forty years older than I am struggle to find the simplest conversational speech or not understand why his half picture of a clock was incorrect. Therapy session after therapy session, he progressed exceedingly well. His Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) is still to this day his lifesaver, bringing him to what he thought was impossible to living his life again. Watching his journey to recovery has truly been an amazing experience, which is what guided my decision to pursue Speech Language Pathology. I felt for my Uncle and found myself intrigued by his therapy. From then on I just wanted to learn more. From children developing communication skills to the concept of swallowing to the diagnosis of adult disorders. I just wanted to learn more.
To enhance my knowledge and to gain experience related to the profession, I have been a clinical assistant at our University of New Hampshire (UNH) Speech-Language-Hearing Center (SLHC), volunteered for Seacoast Reads and became a teacher's assistant for numerous American Sign Language (ASL) courses. As a clinical assistant, I work with an eight-year-old girl on improving her fluency. I plan, create, and present activities that correspond to her fluency treatment each week, along with collecting and utilizing client data for clinical documentation. When volunteering for the Seacoast Reads program, I would travel to elementary schools to help children in both individual and group settings to increase proficiency in reading and writing, as well as encourage them to have a love for reading and to develop self-confidence. When I was a teacher's assistant for ASL I assisted the coordinator and instructor in furthering student understanding of ASL, as well as coordinating study groups and providing individual tutoring for students outside of class. In addition, I worked with children at the UNH Child Study and Development Center to teach ASL to infants. These experiences were rewarding, fulfilling, and have increased my desire to pursue Speech Language Pathology. I have obtained skills that are important to the field, including working in a variety of settings, working with a range of ages, tailoring instruction with individuals specifically to their needs, and learned how to build a lesson plan while being flexible to obstacles that arise. Not only have I obtained skills, these experiences have provided me with confidence and knowledge that will guide me towards my future in a professional environment.