I Chose Salus
Speech-Language Pathology
My name is Yegene Hong and I am a second-year Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) student here at Salus University, Class of 2020.
I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2018 and I decided to come back home to pursue my master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Like many, it was not until college that I knew I wanted to pursue becoming an SLP. All I knew was that the job outlook was promising in this field, and that it was ranked in the top 20 jobs in U.S News at the time. It was not until my first course in the major that I knew this was what I wanted to be. All my life I wanted to pursue law, and to represent individuals while speaking on their behalf. The field of SLP made me realize that instead, I can work with people to increase their communication so that they can better their ability to speak for themselves.
The SLP Program here at Salus is both new and exciting. We are now officially an accredited program since the summer of 2019. At times it can become overwhelming but that is expected! I can confidently say that the professors, supervisors, and administration of the SLP department do their best to educate their students in both the classroom and clinical settings. The intensity of the program has shaped me in becoming the promising SLP clinician that I strive to be.
On that note, here is what my average day looks like!
6:15 a.m.: This is my first alarm. I am definitely the type of person that needs AT LEAST four alarms to wake up, so I usually just hit the snooze button until the very last alarm.
6:25 a.m.: Snooze…
6:35 a.m.: Snooze again….
6:45 a.m.: Rise and shine! I hop out of bed and start getting ready for my day. This includes washing up, skin care, make up, hair, and just making sure I look presentable when I go to externship. I am a firm believer of the saying, “Look good, feel good!”
7:30 a.m.: I start to get my lunch and snacks ready so it can last me the whole day. I am someone that constantly needs food no matter what, or I will become ravenously hungry!
7:50 a.m.: I grab something quick to eat for breakfast – usually a yogurt, granola bar, and a banana—and head out the door to go to my externship.
8:15 a.m.: I usually arrive at my externship around this time. I am currently placed at McKinley Elementary School and I love it. I am learning so much from my supervisor and through our caseload as well.
3:30 p.m.: Externship has ended, and I am usually exhausted. I make my way over to Salus to prep for the next day and to get ready for class.
5:00 p.m.: Class is starting! Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and sometimes Mondays, are when we have night class from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Somedays are harder to get through than others, but overall it is not too bad. At times it will take more focus to pay attention just because the first half of our day is extremely jampacked, but I definitely have become acclimated with my schedule.
7:00 p.m.: Class is over and it is time to go home.
7:15 p.m.: I usually get home around this time. I run in and get dressed to go to the gym.Sometimes I’ll stay at Salus to go to the Hafter Center, but most of the times I’ll go to my home gym.
7:40 p.m.: This is when I usually start my workout! I always try to plan my workouts in advance, so I do not waste time trying to think of things to do. Grad school can be very overwhelming and stressful, so I definitely recommend taking at least an hour of the day for yourself, whether it be Netflix, gym, or any other activity that you enjoy.
9:20 p.m.: I am home! I’ll eat a late dinner then will start getting ready for tomorrow. I make sure that my outfit, prep, lunch, and any assignments are finished and ready to go for the next day. My niece and I have been working on a puzzle together, so I’ll spend about 20 minutes doing that with her before she goes to bed. Right now, our class is getting ready to take our board exam soon, so I try to fit some studying in as well. Majority of my studying I do on the weekends but I’ll do my best to familiarize myself with the material throughout the week! Even if it’s only for 20 minutes a day.
11:30-11:45 p.m.: I am in bed and ready to go to sleep. I am usually exhausted by this time but if not, I’ll do some reading before! Right now I am reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (highly recommend). I go to sleep and get ready to do it all over again the next day!
Learn More About the Salus Speech-Language Pathology Program
