Published on August 23, 2021 by Sara Roman  
KristenFowler
Degree/Year: Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders, 2018
Current Position: Speech Language Pathologist at The Bell Center for Early Intervention
 
Describe your journey from Samford to your current position.
After graduating from Samford, I received my Master of Arts in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Memphis. During this time, I gained clinical experience in various settings, including acute care, adult rehabilitation, schools and aural rehabilitation. I completed my clinical fellowship at The Bell Center, and I am beginning my second year at the center.
 
How did Samford prepare you for your career?
Samford prepared me for a career in a service profession through professors who modeled a service-oriented mindset every day in classes and around campus. Of course, our professors are knowledgeable about the field, but it is the motivation behind ‘why’ they wanted to teach us to serve our clients that stand out in my mind.
 
Why do you want to be a speech language pathologist?
I have always wanted to work with children with special needs. After working as a camp counselor for a summer, I realized that I loved building one-on-one connections with the children. When Samford announced that they were starting an undergraduate program in communication disorders, I knew it was the perfect combination of my interests in science and education.
 
Why did you choose to earn your degree at Samford?
I chose Samford because I was looking for a small school where it would be easy to build connections with all the larger university opportunities. Plus, I toured during a thunderstorm while horribly cold. I figured it I liked Samford under those conditions, I would LOVE it on a better day.
 
What advice do you have for students that are pursuing a career in speech-language pathology?
Before starting graduate school, the best advice I got was, “you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time.” It can be overwhelming to balance everything, especially when you start clinicals. Tackle everything one step at a time and lean on the people around you for support.