My Career Interest

           Walking through the doors of The Rise School, a preschool for children with Down’s Syndrome, after five summers, always makes me smile! It is hard to not feel joyous when you are receiving a big teddy bear hug from a child who cannot say your name, even if they know it. Giving and receiving hugs is only a small part of the volunteer duties at The Rise School. Helping with crafts, playground time, music, and lunch are all part of a busy morning there.  My favorite time of the day is helping the speech and music therapists work with the children.

During my volunteer experiences at The Rise School and at a camp for special-needs teenagers, I have had the opportunity to observe kids struggling to communicate.  The contact with these children has helped me realize that I am meant to help youth in a medical related field. It did not take long for me to figure out that I wanted to be a speech language pathologist. Many kids have the thought process of forming what they desire to say, but are unsuccessful in speaking and making proper sounds. A speech pathologist is the absolute dream job for me. I thrive on making a difference and helping others excel in even the smallest things

I plan to study communications disorders at University of Arkansas and then get my graduate degree in Speech Therapy. After obtaining my degrees, I want to work with children to help them speak and communicate clearly. These may be children who have learning differences, normal speech issues in early elementary school, or teens who have lost speaking abilities in an accident.  

I have loved all of the volunteer opportunities I have had working with children through National Charity League, National Honor Society, AIM High (an after school program for underprivileged students) and mission trips.  Volunteering with children has taught me patience because it takes time for kids to learn and not everything is developed or learned the first time around. I am detail-oriented and patient, which are very important traits to working in a medical field, and specifically Speech Pathology. With the skills that I possess, I know that I can be successful in this field and achieve my dreams.