I Chose Salus
Speech-Language Pathology
My name is Marissa Aguado and I am a second-year Speech-Language Pathology graduate student here at Salus University, Class of 2020.
I grew up and still currently live with my family in Northeast Philadelphia. I have always had an interest in science and helping others, as my mother is a physical therapist, so I decided to attend Penn State Abington to pursue a degree in biology. After two years there I decided to change my major and transfer to Temple University. I have always had in interest in speech therapy, as I received services as a child in elementary school and one of my best friends was currently attending Temple University for Speech Pathology. I was able to complete all the necessary coursework for my degree in under two years and I then graduated from Temple University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). I was then accepted into the University's Speech-Language Pathology program soon thereafter.
I am currently in my final semester of my graduate program, as I will be graduating this May! As a second-year student, we are all currently on our second round of externship and we have class at night. This semester is my pediatric externship and I am located at Lower Moreland High School and Pine Road Elementary School.
Here is what a day in my life currently looks like:
6:15 a.m.: Good morning! I ALWAYS wake up to my first alarm. I am definitely a morning person!
6:15 a.m.: I start to get ready for my day by brushing my teeth, doing my makeup, fixing my hair, and then I pick out an outfit for my day at school, so basically dress pants and a knit sweater since it is so cold out!
7:00 a.m.: I make my lunch and pack many snacks to last throughout the day (as I will have class from 5:00-7:00 p.m.).
7:20 a.m.: I make myself a smoothie for breakfast. Lately my smoothie has contained soy milk, frozen strawberries, frozen mangoes, and a frozen banana! Smoothies are an easy and HEALTHY on-the-go breakfast.
7:25 a.m.: I am out the door and heading to my school externship. I also drink my smoothie on the way there.
7:50 a.m.: Depending on traffic, I usually arrive at my placement between 7:50-8:00. I don’t have to be in until 8:15 every day but I like to be early (that’s just how I am!).
8:15 a.m.: The school day begins!
3:30 p.m.: The school day has ended and that means I am done my externship for the day. I then leave and head over to Salus which takes about 25 minutes. This all depends whether I make a quick stop to get an iced caramel latte at Dunkin Donuts (I’m exhausted!).
5:00 p.m.: Class begins! We currently have mandatory class every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00-7:00 p.m. and sometimes Wednesdays. By this point I am used to the long days and having class at night, so it’s just “another weekday” for me.
7:00 p.m.: Class is over (thank goodness) and I get to finally go home after being out since 7:25 a.m.
7:35 p.m.: I usually arrive home around this time and heat up whatever my family had for dinner that night. They are always so kind enough to set aside a plate for me and sometimes I even come home to it already warmed up and ready to go for me! I also play with my dog for a little bit as I didn’t get to see him all day and he missed me so much.
8:00 p.m.: I get a shower (to wake myself up) and then I start any assignments, studying, prep work, etc. needed for the next day or throughout the week. I tend to prep for my externship the night before just so I am readily familiarized with what I will be doing the next day. I am also currently studying for my boards (a.k.a. the PRAXIS exam) which I am scheduled to take on March 6th. Wish me luck!
10:30/11:00 p.m.: I start to wind down and get ready for bed. I will usually browse social media or watch something on Netflix for some “me time”. I tend to fall asleep around 11:30 p.m. as I want to get enough sleep since I wake up so early the next day!
Learn More About the Salus Speech-Language Pathology Program
