Abriel is doing it, are you?
Suffering from depression at a young age has
inspired me to help boys and girls battle with depression and see the good in
life, especially with who they are deep down. I’m a firm believer that anything
can happen and all you need to do is find out who you are and what you’re
really good at. There are many people out there who have trouble with something
in life. My aunt is Down syndrome and both my sisters and mother went into
a career where they are helping other people change their life with some sort
of disability. Living with my aunt has given all of us a different perspective
on how everyday life should be and how people live. It says a lot about a
person who strives to help others and it becomes inspiring to see the person
their helping change. This leads me to a girl I went to high school with,
Abriel McCann and her story about her and her dreams.
Throughout my life, I always knew that I
wanted to choose a career in which I directly helped somebody one-on-one. I
have always loved biology and psychology as well, so I wanted to incorporate
that into what I would be doing for a living. As I am family oriented, I always
want to do what I could to make my family happy and healthy. My cousin, who I
am very close with to this day, has always had trouble with fluency, which
occasionally bothered him. He was treated by a speech therapist in his school
and I was inspired by the positive attitude that he had and his willingness to
try things to improve his fluency. I also worked at Wyoming Valley Montessori
School, where there were children who required the assistance of a
speech-language pathologist to improve different troubles that they
experienced. I found myself focusing on these situations and knew that I wanted
to be involved. I then learned about Dr. Glen and Cari Tellis, who are majorly
involved in the speech-language pathology department at Misericordia University
from Margaret McCann, who was a teacher at Montessori at the time. The more
that I looked into it, the more I was inspired by how much could be
accomplished by speech-language pathologists and the amazing impact that they
have the opportunity to make in the lives of others.
Upon applying and being accepted to
Misericordia’s speech-language pathology program, I have absolutely loved every
minute of what I have learned regarding speech-language pathology; from anatomy
to the science behind speech mechanisms to the direct application of therapy.
Each instructor at the University has specific specializations, which allows us
to learn so much from each of them. As mentioned earlier, I was interested in
fluency because of my cousin’s situation. Within the last year, I got involved
with various research projects with Dr. Glen Tellis, who is a board certified
fluency specialist, along with some other students at the University which has
allowed me to learn a great deal of information and has given me amazing
opportunities to present my research findings. I plan to continue conducting
research and presenting it to help make advancements and directly help others
in whatever area of speech-language pathology that I am able to.
Though I am interested in many areas of
speech-language pathology, I have become very interested in dysphagia and
dysphagia treatment during my observations with various clinicians. While I
have observed in many settings, I have found that I am most passionate about
working with medically fragile children. I feel that they do not only require
therapy, but also passion and positivity to progress. It is such a rewarding
feeling to watch any individual progress in something that they struggled with.
However, it is an even more rewarding feeling that you are the one that helped
that individual to have the strength and positivity to help themselves progress
with the tools that you have given them. As long as I am helping others, I will
not think of my career simply as “work.” I feel that if you could make a
difference in the lives of others, then it is important to do so. Upon getting
my master’s degree, I would like to pursue a PhD in a specific area of
speech-language pathology to gain as much knowledge as possible to help others
effectively. This is my dream. If you have a dream, it’s so important to do
whatever you could to pursue it. You never know how positively your passion
could impact the world. If you have the opportunity to positively impact or
change the life of one person, even if it is you, it is important.
Thanks for reading everyone
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