qwyn
Jan 12, 2011
Graduate / Speech Pathology, to communicate with loved ones - Graduate School Essay [2]
This is a personal statement essay for entry into a graduate program for speech pathology. Why do I want to continue my education in speech pathology?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Many things should not be taken for granted. The ability to communicate with loved ones is a prime example of that. My grandmother valued her family and loved spending quality time with her children and grandchildren. Six years ago, my grandmother began struggling with dementia. Her battle with dementia resulted with impaired communication due to her deteriorating mental capabilities. My favorite memories I cherish of my grandmother were the times when we would look at old picture albums. I would look forward to listening to her stories about the pictures but this pastime was halted because of her expressive language difficulties. My grandmother lost her verbal connection she previously shared with her family. It was challenging to watch an important figure in our family loose her ability to communicate and express herself successfully.
It was inspiring to watch the speech-language pathologist working with my grandmother and seeing how hard she worked toward helping my grandmother compensate for her communication problems. I knew that I wanted to become the person who worked with people to improve their communication difficulties so they are able to talk and share stories with their loved ones like my grandmother once did. Witnessing my grandmother's struggle with communication made it obvious how imperative the function of communication is and the significant role it plays in our lives. Communicating not only allows us to maintain relationships and make new ones but it also enables us to express our wants, needs and thoughts.
I am constantly trying to expand my knowledge in the field by subscribing to the American Speech Language and Hearing Journal which informs me of the current trends and new research conducted. I continued to feed my desire to learn more about speech and language pathology by attending conventions such as the Pennsylvania Speech Language and Hearing Association as well as the American Speech Language and Hearing Association where I was able to attend seminars on the topics of aphasia and autism which were the topics that intrigued me. Not only did I take classes that challenged me and allowed me to learn additional information that will be valuable in the future, but I stayed focused throughout my undergraduate studies and maintained dean's list. My leadership and passion for the field led me to become the treasurer of IUP chapter National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association where I in managed finances and became involved in fundraising and professional development activities which benefit the speech and language program as well as the community.
My grandmother's dementia influenced my decision of aspiring to become a speech-language pathologist. It was disheartening watching my grandmother who at one time was known for being articulate and talkative, attempt to communicate and search for the correct words to say. I take pride in pursuing such a purposeful career and I am excited to continue the process towards a career of improving people's speech and language related problems. I will be a successful speech and language pathologist because I realize the significance of communication between two people who love each other and witnessed the barrier it created when communication was impaired. Sadly, I lost my grandmother this year which makes me more determined to achieve my educational and professional goals in becoming more proficient in the speech and language pathology field. I look forward to giving other people a chance to improve their quality of living through communication to the greatest extent possible.
This is a personal statement essay for entry into a graduate program for speech pathology. Why do I want to continue my education in speech pathology?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Many things should not be taken for granted. The ability to communicate with loved ones is a prime example of that. My grandmother valued her family and loved spending quality time with her children and grandchildren. Six years ago, my grandmother began struggling with dementia. Her battle with dementia resulted with impaired communication due to her deteriorating mental capabilities. My favorite memories I cherish of my grandmother were the times when we would look at old picture albums. I would look forward to listening to her stories about the pictures but this pastime was halted because of her expressive language difficulties. My grandmother lost her verbal connection she previously shared with her family. It was challenging to watch an important figure in our family loose her ability to communicate and express herself successfully.
It was inspiring to watch the speech-language pathologist working with my grandmother and seeing how hard she worked toward helping my grandmother compensate for her communication problems. I knew that I wanted to become the person who worked with people to improve their communication difficulties so they are able to talk and share stories with their loved ones like my grandmother once did. Witnessing my grandmother's struggle with communication made it obvious how imperative the function of communication is and the significant role it plays in our lives. Communicating not only allows us to maintain relationships and make new ones but it also enables us to express our wants, needs and thoughts.
I am constantly trying to expand my knowledge in the field by subscribing to the American Speech Language and Hearing Journal which informs me of the current trends and new research conducted. I continued to feed my desire to learn more about speech and language pathology by attending conventions such as the Pennsylvania Speech Language and Hearing Association as well as the American Speech Language and Hearing Association where I was able to attend seminars on the topics of aphasia and autism which were the topics that intrigued me. Not only did I take classes that challenged me and allowed me to learn additional information that will be valuable in the future, but I stayed focused throughout my undergraduate studies and maintained dean's list. My leadership and passion for the field led me to become the treasurer of IUP chapter National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association where I in managed finances and became involved in fundraising and professional development activities which benefit the speech and language program as well as the community.
My grandmother's dementia influenced my decision of aspiring to become a speech-language pathologist. It was disheartening watching my grandmother who at one time was known for being articulate and talkative, attempt to communicate and search for the correct words to say. I take pride in pursuing such a purposeful career and I am excited to continue the process towards a career of improving people's speech and language related problems. I will be a successful speech and language pathologist because I realize the significance of communication between two people who love each other and witnessed the barrier it created when communication was impaired. Sadly, I lost my grandmother this year which makes me more determined to achieve my educational and professional goals in becoming more proficient in the speech and language pathology field. I look forward to giving other people a chance to improve their quality of living through communication to the greatest extent possible.