What were some of the values and attitudes toward education expressed in your family? How have these influenced your thinking and your practice (as a student)?

Let’s see my mother is from a family of 16 children and only her youngest sister has a college degree. I’m not sure how many actually graduated from high school. One of her brother’s who is currently in his sixties just got his G.E.D. I thought that was great!!! Now out of all the grandchildren only one granddaughter has a college degree. Hopefully, I will be number two next year. Most of her family would be considered blue- collar even though they operate their own businesses.

On my father’s side there were eight children and most of them only have an eighth grade education and none of the grandchildren have a college degree. I hope to be the first. Again blue-collar workers in carpentry (Jesus was a carpenter). They all were really great builders.

Despite the fact that majority of my family did not choose to continue their education they definitely know how important a good education is and they have been very encouraging to me. My parents more than most can relate to how difficult it is to make it in this world without an education. They did encourage me to go to college when I was younger but I chose to get married instead. After the boys came along it seemed there was never enough money for school. So I waited until they were grown to get on with my education. I know this is something society thinks you should do when your younger but I feel like I can appreciate it more now.

My boyfriend Anthony is a constant source of encouragement for me. He always gives me a push if I need one. Sometimes he sounds like my dad, have you got any homework or don’t you think you should get started on that project you were talking about. He’s great. My boys also ask me about school and they seem to be glad that I decided to further my education even though they both decided to work instead of continuing on with theirs. Their decision not to go to school has caused me a great deal of anguish.
I’ve seen what life can be like without an education and for the most part it’s a lot of hard work with very little compensation. So you can believe me when I say I study extra hard and am totally dedicated to my cause. Therefore, to my family, Anthony and myself earning a college degree will be one of my greatest accomplishments. I may not be as fast or as smart as the hare but like the tortoise I plan on finishing the race.

Geneva

Why do I want to become an SLP? What was it about being an SLP that drew me to this profession?

My mother was my greatest influence as she had been in the healthcare field for twenty years and she loved it. I am a lot like my mother as I love to help people and wish to make a difference in other people’s life. I love children and elderly people. Both age groups are fascinating to me. I love to hear stories about how life was “Back in the old days” from the old folks and with children there are just these incredible vibes of energy drawing me. (Maybe because I’m just an old kid at heart)

Another reason for becoming an SLP is I want to help others just like the SLP helped my mother. Mom had a stroke over seven years ago and her recovery has been a miracle. It was truly amazing how much the speech therapist helped her. So when I first decided to go to college being an SLP was always at the back of my mind but I didn’t think I was smart enough. I mean I was a 35-year-old single working mother starting college, which was a scary prospect for me. Kerry one of my co-worker’s/friend encouraged me to think about becoming an interpreter for the deaf. Kerry has a gift for interpreting and she was very helpful to me but I didn’t want to relocate to Richmond, Kentucky because of my children.

During all this I was working for The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation as an assistant. This put me in daily contact with people who have disabilities. This is where I learned how essential being able to communicate is to your everyday life. The social and emotional toll of not being able to effectively communicate is heartbreaking to see. And for me the people that we served are still my inspiration. These people made a major impact on my life, as I truly loved helping them to achieve their goals. No matter what their impairment they kept striving to realize their dreams and I knew then I always wanted to work where I could continue to make life better for others.

So I continued taking classes until one day I talked to the vocational counselor that I worked with about where I was going with my life. I told him what my secret dream was and how I really wanted become an SLP. He gave me so much encouragement even though he knew I would eventually have to leave my job and he would be without an assistant. That was a huge sacrifice for him because he absolutely hates change. So I made the trip to Marshall and spoke to Ms. McComas about the CD program. I was really nervous because of my age, as I would be in my mid forties when I graduated but she eased my fears assured me not to worry. She gave me the confidence that I needed and I’ve been at Marshall every since. Make no mistake its definitely been a struggle for me but I believe there’s an old saying that goes something like “Anything worth having in life is worth working for” and to me being able to help people communicate is worth all the hard work. I love it!!!

Geneva