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“It is possible to enter this field with one idea and leave with one completely different, both fantastic and interesting! SLP offers a vast array of potential work sites that fits with each of us differently.”
“My Nana received many home-health speech therapy sessions over the years that she lived in our home and I sat in on each one. I eventually shadowed her speech-language therapist in other settings such as the hospital, nursing home, and other home-health visits,” she said. “Eventually, I learned that Duquesne offered this Speech-Language Pathology program, and even allowed us to complete the master’s degree in a shortened five-year span.“
It’s no surprise that, during high school, Alison’s favorite subjects were Health Careers classes, as well as Physiology and Biology. ”I was always very concerned about individuals and strove to do good things where I could.”
From her very first visit to campus during Duquesne Fest 1998, Alison was impressed. “Everyone I met that day was incredibly encouraging, caring, and interested in me, which enticed me. I felt as though I were important to those I met with that day. Additionally, I loved the university campus and the location within the city of Pittsburgh. Coming from an extremely small town, Duquesne eased my transition into the city life,” she recalled.
Alison initially was very interested in the medical aspects of speech and language disorders and enjoyed facilitating language re-learning with adults who had strokes and traumatic brain injuries. But after attending a placement site for physically and mentally handicapped children in her final year, she found her passion.
“I most enjoy working with children with many needs and helping them acquire the
language they will need to succeed. I want to work in a school with a select population of students with mental and physical impairments,” she declared.
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