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In this episode, Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) Post-bacc Program Coordinator Kimberly Cafarella, MS, CCC-SLP, talks to students Lina "LJ" Jaquez-Ly '24PBSL and Fatmira "Mira" Gobeljic '24PBSL about why they chose the SLP Post-bacc program and how it has prepared them for graduate school.
Cafarella: What is your background and how did you decide to pursue the field of SLP?
Gobeljic: In undergrad, I originally majored in Russian studies. I started that with the plan of going into teaching or interpreting Russian or foreign languages. As I was nearing the completion of my bachelor's degree, I started thinking that maybe I didn't want to go into interpretation or foreign language teaching, and I found the SLP profession. After doing some research, I realized this was a way that I could use the skills I have with foreign languages to be able to help others communicate in various ways. I fell in love with the SLP profession and decided that this is what I wanted to pursue a degree in and do for the rest of my life.
Jaquez-Ly: I got my bachelor's degree in psychology and social sciences and I thought I was going to be a psychiatrist or in the field of psychology. The semester before I was about to graduate, I had a family emergency that needed my attention, so I couldn't continue my education. I was kind of forced into the workforce. I did a year and a half in human resources, customer service and recruiting jobs. After a year and a half, my family member was able to get back on their feet and didn't need me anymore. I was thinking of going back to school but was wondering if I still wanted to go back to school for psychology. Something in me changed; I still respect that profession but I wanted something else, something still having to do with therapy, just a little more hands-on. When I was doing my research, I came across SLP and thought it sounded very cool. After doing more research, I fell in love with it more and more and decided to just go for it and enroll in the Post-bacc program at Salus.
Cafarella: The great thing about our Post-bacc program is that we get students from such diverse undergraduate experiences. How has the Post-bacc program prepared you for a graduate SLP program?
Jaquez-Ly: In the beginning, even though I was excited, I was still a little scared because I did not have an undergrad experience with communication disorders. I was nervous that I might still be behind, even through the Post-bacc. After the first and second semesters, I feel very prepared. I feel confident that I know enough to start my graduate program. A huge confidence boost is what this program has given me.
Gobeljic: I just felt going into this that I knew so little. Being able to learn from professionals in the field, I feel like I'm prepared to enter graduate school and I won't be behind compared to my classmates who have those communication science disorders backgrounds. I feel like the education that we received here, especially with how the classes are structured, puts you into a similar schedule [as graduate school]. That's one of the reasons that I chose it other than an online program. I wanted to experience that first step into postgraduate rather than creating my schedule through online courses.
Cafarella: It's great to hear how the program has increased both of your confidence levels. That was one of our goals when we developed the program, we wanted it to parallel the structure of our graduate program, both in terms of the scheduling and the rigor of the courses, but also just with individual support.
What has been your favorite part about the SLP Post-bacc program?
Gobeljic: I love the connections that I've made with my cohort. I've loved watching all of us grow throughout the year and increasing our understanding and ability within the communication sciences disorders field. [It has been exciting] seeing all the different paths that we're going to go on now with regards to which graduate schools we’ll be attending. I also loved the observations at the Speech-Language Institute (SLI), Salus University’s on-campus clinical facility. It gave me a look into what I would be doing once I started graduate school at Salus. It has also prepared me for what I will be experiencing once I start working in the clinic. I liked having in-person observations and getting to see the clinical educators and students. It has been a wonderful experience and I love all the people that I've met through it.
Jaquez-Ly: Being able to have my cohort, the relationships we built together, and the support that we've created for each other [has been great]. If one person was struggling, we'd all try to help them as much as possible. It was amazing that Salus provided the observation opportunities for us, especially since I didn't have enough coming into the program. Being able to get those hours through SLI was very important for me. The observations were very fun, and I love that we were able to talk to students and the supervisors before or after observations. It was so nice to be able to just have that communication with them and ask them questions; they were very open to talking with us.
Cafarella: What do you hope to do in the future within the field of SLP?
Jaquez-Ly: I'm still stuck between two different environments. I'm interested in working with high schoolers. I'm interested in working with that population or with the special education departments too, within high schools. I am also interested in trying to see if I can create some programs for juvenile detention centers or prisons here in Philadelphia. I was doing a lot of research and I couldn't see a lot of programs for the incarcerated population. I might go either way, I'm not sure yet. I'm hoping that through my graduate program, I can experience that a little bit more, do observation, or have connections with people in those institutions to see which way I'm going to go.
Gobeljic: Right now I'm not entirely sure which sort of setting I want to go into, but I know that I want to work with helping refugee and immigrant populations get the therapy and the resources that they and their children need. Whether that be within the schools or possibly doing early intervention, I want to make sure that there aren't any children left behind because their parents weren't aware that these sorts of therapies existed or that they're being misunderstood because they don't speak English well. And maybe people assume that they have speech language disorder when in reality it's just a difference.
