Akron Grad School Statement of Purpose PDF

All growing up, I knew I held a special place in my heart for children.
I did not always know

what that special place consisted of, but I knew that working with children in my future was
exactly what I was meant to do. I grew up in Massillon, Ohio and attended Perry Local School
District my whole public school career. Coming out of high school, I was not sure what path I
was supposed to follow, so I believed nursing , specifically pediatric nursing, was the best
choice. After looking around at nursing schools, I chose to start my undergraduate journey at The
University of Mount Union as a nursing major. Throughout my first semester as a nursing major,
I quickly realized that nursing was not my passion. I did not find the courses interesting, and
after a personal experience of being in the hospital my first semester, I definitely knew I was not
meant to be a nurse. After this realization, I decided I needed a major that revolved solely around
children and impacting their lives in positive ways. With much consideration, I decided to
change my major to Early Childhood Education and Intervention Specialist, ultimately following
my dream of working with children.
As soon as I began my journey as an education major, I knew I had made the right decision. I
immediately felt at home and began succeeding in ways I did not know were possible for me. As
my time went on as an education major at The University of Mount Union, I began looking
further into other opportunities that would allow me to positively impact the lives of many
children. In this search, I came across Speech Pathology. I always knew about the profession of
Speech Pathology, but I was completely unaware of the endless amounts of different paths and
opportunities this career allowed professionals to have. The more I began researching pediatric
Speech Pathology, the more intrigued I became with the field. I realized that I could impact
children’s lives through education, but realized I could have even more of an impact by
becoming a Speech Pathologist.
I instantly decided that after I graduated from The University of Mount Union with my
Bachelors Degree in Education, my goal was going to be to continue my education to become a
Speech Pathologist. I became so interested with this career path and with the University of
Akron’s program, that I began looking into ways to begin school a year early. After a great
amount of research, I registered for online classes through Eastern New Mexico University to
finish my prerequisite courses before I graduate with my Bachelor’s Degree in Education. After
enrolling through Eastern New Mexico University, I realized I had now taken on a 26 credit hour
load between my undergraduate degree and my graduate degree prerequisites. Although
seemingly overwhelming, I knew I was doing exactly what I was meant to do.
Throughout my education, I have had many field experiences with children, although not
necessarily through speech. At the University of Mount Union, I was fortunate enough to begin
field experiences as early as my freshman year. My freshman year, I completed observation
hours in a high school, middle school, and elementary school level. As I moved up in my
education, I began completing more field work in many different grade levels. I completed field
placements in kindergarten, second grade, third grade, and fourth grade. I also completed field
work in an inner city Canton Middle School working in a high functioning sixth, seventh and
eighth grade autism room. During my senior year at the University of Mount Union, I was able
to complete my preclinical and clinical student teaching with two different third grade teachers at
Lexington Elementary School in Marlington Local School District. At Lexington Elementary
school, I taught nine weeks with a general education teacher, teaching normal ability and gifted
students. After teaching in general education, I had the opportunity to teach for eight weeks with
a third grade intervention specialist, working mainly with students on IEPs and 504 plans.
With many different opportunities to work with children, I can confidently say I gained so much
knowledge. Working with students who are typically learning, gifted, on IEPs, and 504 plans, I
have learned how many different students learn best. Through my multiple experiences working
with children, I have been able to successfully differentiate for students to ensure they are
learning and exhibiting their best possible abilities in the classroom. Along with teaching
students, I have also had the opportunity to see firsthand how great of an impact the Speech
Pathologist has on the students at Lexington Elementary School. At Lexington Elementary, I
spent time working side by side with the Speech Pathologist, observing her work across all grade
levels in the school. I also had multiple students in both of my classrooms who received services
from her. Through observing her one on one and working professionally with her in the
classroom, it was evident how great of an impact she held on the students. I was able to watch
students grow in the classroom in unexpected ways after receiving services from the Speech
Pathologist at school.
Seeing the impact the Speech Pathologist had on the many students she works with, ensured
Speech Pathology is exactly what I want to do in the future. My passion for working with
children blossomed when teaching, but I know my passion will blossom even more working as
an SLP in the future. With high goals and personal experiences, I believe I would be a great fit
for this program. I have always been extremely driven in my education, and I know that will not
change through my coursework in graduate school. I easily take constructive criticism and apply
it to better improve my abilities when learning and truly believe learning is a lifelong process. I
am confident that Speech Pathology is what I am meant to do in the future and believe I would
be a strong asset to your program. Although I may not have majored in Speech in my
undergraduate career, but I have experiences that I feel will strongly benefit me in this career. I
understand how to work with diverse children and understand how to differentiate for each
individual child. My background in education has given me a foundation that an undergraduate
in Speech may not have given me. I am very eager to follow my passion of becoming a Speech
Language Pathologist, and I would greatly appreciate your consideration for this opportunity.

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All growing up, I knew I held a special place in my heart for children.

I did not always know

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