My name is Christine Brennick, and I am currently a junior here at UMass. I am double majoring in Communication Disorders and Spanish. While these are two completely different fields, they are both related through language. My classes in communication disorders and Spanish are very different and at times I feel as though they are totally separate pursuits. However, I plan to take a few classes that link the two together including Hispanic Linguistics and Spanish Phonetics, two classes that I had to take in English for communication disorders. While these two majors do not complement each other as clearly as some other combinations, I know that pairing the two will be complementary for my career. For those of you who don’t know, Communication Disorders focuses helping individuals with varying disabilities communicate as effectively as possible whether it be through verbal or non-verbal communication. We also focus on the medical side of communication disorders which includes helping individuals who have lost language due to a stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, trauma to the speech mechanism etc. After graduation, I plan to pursue a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology with a focus in bilingualism. With this degree I will be able to practice as a speech language pathologist in the field. Furthermore, I plan to focus my practice on children and adults who speak English as their second language and either Spanish or another language as their first. Right now, only five percent of speech language pathologists in the United States are bilingual. With the large and growing population of Spanish speakers in the United States this is absolutely unacceptable. Many individuals who speak English as their second language are unable to get the therapy and rehabilitation that they need. Additionally, children who speak English as a second language are often misdiagnosed with a disability due to a language difference, not disorder. On the other hand, some children who speak English as a second language who do have disabilities are often overlooked or not given the proper therapy they need because of their language difference.

I originally became interested in becoming a bilingual Speech Language Pathologist when my uncle who is from Mexico had a stroke and lost a great deal of his language capabilities. He stayed in Mass General Hospital and later moved to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. As these are two world renowned hospitals, I was shocked to find out that he did not receive services from a bilingual Speech Language Pathologist. Instead, he received services in English only and had a very hard time recovering his Spanish. This was heartbreaking to me as his only way of communication with his family in Mexico was through Spanish. As I have continued my studies in communication disorders since then, I am still interested in working in one of the large Boston hospitals. However, I have also developed a strong interest in working in a school with individuals with disabilities who speak English as their second language. Thankfully, one of the great beauties of Speech Language Pathology is that I can do both!

As I prepare to go abroad to Sevilla, Spain this spring, I am working on finding a way to volunteer with individuals with disabilities while I am abroad so that I can get more exposure to individuals who have disabilities and speak primarily Spanish. When I return, I want to further my knowledge of communication disorders and Spanish by volunteering in Holyoke with individuals who have disabilities. My goal is that by the time I graduate with this double major, I will be confident in my Spanish speaking skills and will continue to practice so that I will be able to make a big impact on the Spanish speaking community as a speech language pathologist.

As I mentioned before, I sometimes feel as though I am pursuing two completely different fields. However, recently in one of my communication disorders classes, we had a guest speaker named Karen Guilmete who is a bilingual Speech Language Pathologist and worked in Arizona for many years with individuals who speak English as a second language. Karen was very inspiring and really helped to reinforce my goal. She explained that the need for speech pathologist who have linguistic diversity knowledge is huge. It was excellent to meet someone who now works for the UMass communication disorders department who has done what I want to do and can guide me.

For anyone who has any interest in communication disorders I highly recommend taking an intro course to get a taste of what it is like. Knowledge of communication disorders can help individuals in all fields to better interact and understand those around them.