Real-World Experience with Erin

Transcript

Let’s meet Erin, a graduate student in QC’s Speech Pathology Program. Inspired by her own personal experiences, Erin wants to help people communicate better and give back to her community. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at Queens and enjoyed her experience so much that she’s back for her Master’s degree. Tell us your story, Erin.

– Thanks, Desi. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to become a speech-language pathologist. When my brother was three, he was diagnosed with autism. I had the opportunity to sit in his speech and language sessions and I actually saw improvements in his communication. Since then, I’ve been committed to supporting children just like my brother, to live independently and communicate. When researching top speech-language pathology programs, Queens College was among the top in New York for both their undergraduate and their graduate programs. What stood out to me was the individualized attention and mentorship that I would receive throughout the two programs. In the undergraduate program, I received one-on-one attention to keep me on track. And in the graduate program, we have the privilege of being a tight-knit group of 16 students. We collaborate with one another on group projects and we attend interprofessional events to become better clinicians. During my first semester, I had the opportunity to work with professors to present research, bringing awareness to mental health of minority aphasia populations. I’ve also gained real-world experience at the Queens College Speech-Language Hearing clinic. There, I’ve worked with children on social engagement, play skills, and language development. I’ve also worked with adults with Parkinson’s to project their voice and people with aphasia with word-finding techniques. My professors push me to be confident in my clinical skills. They always provide me with feedback, and with their immense support, I have been able to confidently and effectively deliver services to a variety of clients in different medical and school settings. The undergraduate and graduate programs for speech-language pathology have prepared me in more ways that I could hope for. After graduation, I plan to work in the school system, serving children with communication disorders from low-income BIPOC communities. Back to you, Desi.

– Thanks, Erin. With personalized support from faculty, a variety of research opportunities and access to real-world experience, you are equipped to help make your community a better place and to live out the Queens College motto, “We Learn So That We May Serve.”