BECOMING A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST (SLP) - ALUMNI PROFILE 

Brynn Davies 

Why study linguistics?

I decided to study linguistics without even really knowing what linguistics was! I was researching graduate schools and stumbled upon speech-language pathology.  My uncle is deaf so I have always been interested in speech difficulties and hearing.  The more I researched SLP, the more it seemed like the perfect job! So I researched the prerequisites for SLP which were linguistics and psychology and made that my major and minor.

What attracted you to the SLP field?

What attracted me to SLP was the idea that I could help people become more independent and confident. I realized through growing up around my uncle just how important it is to be able to communicate and be confident in your ability to communicate.

How did your volunteer and work experience relate to your SLP goal?

In grade 10 I began volunteering as a recreation assistant in an elderly home with people with dementia and volunteered there for about 3 years. From there, I volunteered as a recreation assistant in a home for adults with severe disabilities, many of whom had speech assistant devices.  Through Co-op I began working at a private school as a Special Education Assistant.  There I worked one on one with an 8 year old boy with high functioning autism and oppositional defiant disorder which was absolutely incredible.  At the school I also met a 6 year old nonverbal autistic boy and have worked with him under the guidance of his two SLPs, his OT and his teacher for the past three years.

What are you taking away from your undergraduate years at SFU?

Throughout my studies at SFU I learned a lot about myself. One important thing that I learned was that I understand things better through applying what I am being taught.  I learned this through the many classes I took with Dr. John Alderete. His teaching style works on the basis of learning something and putting what you’ve learned into practice through applying it to real life data.