What inspired you to work in the area of Speech Pathology?

In school I had my heart set on being either a Pediatrician or a teacher. I found that Speech Pathology is a wonderful mix of the two. I also wanted to work with children and help them to learn and develop and I have found that Speech Pathology is perfect for both.

Who do you like to work with?

I like working with children from toddlers through to teenagers. I have a keen interest in three areas of speech pathology, speech sounds, language skills and literacy. Being able to communicate clearly is made up of both speech (having the correct speech sounds) and language skills (understanding others and being able to put words together into sentences) and these skills are also crucial to learning to read and write. l have spent 4 years working in primary schools in Tasmania, which has given me a wide range of experiences, and shown me how much of a positive impact speech therapy can have to academic learning and social communication. I am also passionate about working with other clinicians and helping them in their clinical journey.

Greatest Accomplishments?

I think my greatest achievement is when I ran a series of whole class early literacy and speech sound lessons in Kindergarten to Year 2 classrooms. This helped shape my understanding of how to help students in a classroom environment. It also allowed me to actively collaborate with teachers and teaching staff to co-teach lessons and to up-skill teaching staff. Working in schools has helped shape me as a speech pathologist and helped me to have a different perspective of the positive impact of speech pathology practice on learning and all areas of communication.

Another achievement I am proud of, is completing the Overland Track (a 6-day bush walk) in Tasmania in 2020. I made so many memories along the way, and saw beautiful landscapes, mountains, and waterfalls. This experiences also helped me to build my resilience and to know that determination, courage, growth and curiosity are all strengths that I aspire to. These strengths help me both in my work, but also in daily life.