Occupational Pathologist Personal Statement

I entered my college career undecided about my undergraduate program. However, I was certain that I wanted to pursue a major that would be both challenging and allow me to support individuals with special needs. My mother, an Occupational Therapist, suggested the field of Speech-Language Pathology. The first day in the introductory course my passion took root and has since then grown, and will continue to grow throughout my life. I was immediately captivated with the fascinating combination of human biology and the capability to help others realize their fullest potential in life. I have since been inspired to pursue a graduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. A career as a Speech-Language Pathologist will allow me to fulfill

Working with my students has brought me the greatest sense of joy and has helped me grow in ways I never imagined. The past five years has allowed me to grow close with my students, especially with one student in particular. My relationship with this student is one that is both motivational and personally touching. This student has Down syndrome, as did my late aunt; I found myself immediately connected to this student. He had unintelligible speech, which resulted in a great deal of frustration. This student would often exhibit physically violent behavior when he could not be understood, which created unsafe situations for him and others. Our relationship developed from one of confusion and stress into a supportive and caring one, as a result of a behavioral program I created and administered with my fellow aides. When we were beginning to develop the program, I deferred to the more experienced aides, but great frustrated after I gained experience working with the student and my ideas were not taken seriously. It was sometimes difficult to make my voice heard, but I learned to be confident in my ideas, come prepared to meetings, and back up my opinions. I also learned that compromise is essential when working as a team. Each individual believes their ideas will be the most successful, so it is vital to be respectful, listen to your team, and work together to create a cohesive plan. By respecting the opinions of my fellow aides, they grew to respect mine in turn, and allowed me to have a more vocal role in assisting with the program. This lesson in collaboration taught me the importance of working as a team and how cooperation is essential to help students achieve