My name is Grace Haskell, a graduate student at Northeastern University pursing a master’s in Speech Language Pathology.

I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I changed my mind several times and went into undergrad wanting to be a wedding planner and marine biologist. I took many different classes freshman year of college and took a seminar on voice recognition technology. I became more interested in the linguistic aspect of speech and discovered what programs required linguistics as a prerequisite. That was when I discovered the communication disorders major and was hooked ever since. I finished my undergrad career with bachelor’s degrees in communication Disorders and Psychology from UMass Amherst.

Currently at Northeastern, I am a graduate research assistant in The Aphasia Network lab. I help schedule participants, administer linguistic/cognitive tests, run participants with functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and perform data analyses amongst various studies. In addition I am a graduate office assistant for the CSD department. I give prospective students tours and work in the on-campus Speech Language and Hearing Clinic in the Behrakis Health Sciences building.

During my first year of graduate school, I questioned if I had picked the right career path. It was so much and being thrown into evaluations, treatment sessions and family education was something I had never experienced before. Although it was a bit overwhelming, I am so glad I chose this career. There is nothing better than seeing the smile on a patient’s face or receiving kind words from the family members.

I am grateful for all my clinical placements working with individuals of all ages, from 3 years old up to 85. I have thoroughly loved working in all settings including schools, outpatient, home health and soon to be a private practice. Having these clinical experiences and working with patients has helped me solidify my interest in this career. I am so grateful for the ability to help someone communicate, because everybody has a right to communicate regardless of the modality.

Starting in Spring 2024 I will be pursuing an SLPA position at a pediatric private practice in New Hampshire to enhance my clinical skills before my clinical fellowship. Following graduation, I hope to be a working professional joining the wonderful world of SLPs as well as pursue a research career.