The sounds one hears in utero allow a baby to go from listening, to babbling, and finally, to spoken language. Hearing is a sense I grew up appreciating and brings emotion to my life. The sound of my own voice, my siblings’ laughter, and my dog barking are all appreciated because of my hearing. My younger sisters, Brittany and Kailyn, did not begin to hear in utero, but instead by another miracle that came within the first years of their lives. They were both born with Usher Syndrome, a recessive genetic disorder causing profound hearing loss and progressive vision loss. Knowing my sisters could face a future of complete blindness, my parents chose cochlear implantation and auditory-oral communication from a young age. Once their devices were activated, their brains learned to process new information and gradually develop spoken language. Years of work with speech-language pathologists, auditory verbal therapists, and audiologists, helped my sisters develop the beautiful spoken language they use each day.

Being their older sister, I have been with Brittany and Kailyn every step of the way. From the time their devices were activated, I became an instant and natural therapist. I would correct my sisters when they were young and said "powel" for the word "towel" or even now when Brittany is practicing her speech for her college communications class and needs help articulating the word "especially". Their journey to develop spoken language has not always been easy but teaches me compassion, resilience, and the true meaning of hard work. Their challenges inspire me to become a speech-language pathologist, and it is my passion to advocate for all individuals who are learning to communicate.

In the fall of 2014, I began my journey to become a speech-language pathologist. From the moment I stepped onto Illinois State University’s campus, I had three goals: to excel academically, to be a leader, and to better my community through volunteer work. I joined the honors program, completed research projects on vocal fry and listening and spoken language strategies, and studied abroad in Spain. Apart from academics, I served as the secretary and vice president for Illinois State University’s National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and served in my community with ISU’s Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity. This past summer, I worked as a volunteer intern at the University of Chicago in Dr. Dana Suskind’s Hearing Loss Program and gained clinical knowledge which I will value forever.

During my undergraduate years, I achieved all my goals as a student. I clocked over 200 hours of volunteer work, challenged myself as a leader through NSSLHA, and successfully achieved a 4.0-grade point average. After completing my Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, I plan to pursue Alexander Graham Bell’s Listening and Spoken Language Certificate. This certification enables me to assist children with hearing loss who are learning to speak using hearing assistive technology. I plan to work diligently in the classroom and clinic during my graduate school career to become a speech-language pathologist who continues to be passionate about helping individuals reach their communication goals. Helen Keller once said, “speech is the birthright of every child”. My career goal is to work on a pediatric cochlear implant team, transform the lives of children with hearing loss, and empower individuals to live by this right.