During my high school career, I got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience and observe my future career firsthand.
Most people come into high school not worrying much about their future careers, but for me, it was an extreme burden that I had to figure out as soon as I entered my freshman year. I’ve always known I’ve wanted to work with children in some way, but I never really had the interest in becoming a teacher.
While all high school experiences are different, I find mine to be unique, as most people don’t get hands-on experience in career fields until they’re in college.
Nearing the end of my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to be a part of the preschool program, because seniors in the past have said how much the class has impacted their lives. I found this class as a way to test out the waters of becoming a teacher, but I ultimately found that I wanted to work with students who needed extra support in articulation.
Finishing the preschool program my junior year, I was offered by my mentor, Michelle Malone, to be a part of the new extension of the preschool program, called Elementary Practicum.
This extension of the program gave me an opportunity to teach in high school. Not only have I gotten the opportunity to teach, but I also got the opportunity to shadow a speech-language pathologist, Nicole Cantwell, once a week. This exposure to both career fields solidified my decision to major in speech-language pathology.
While I love working in a classroom with children, I didn’t necessarily see myself as a teacher. Researching the career of speech pathology helped me fall in love with the idea of working with students individually.
The students always bring a smile to my face on the worst of days, making me pictures during recess, giving constant hugs, and always wanting me to be a part of every task.
I was extremely lucky to have Mrs. Malone, as I wouldn’t have found what I wanted to do after high school without her encouragement and suggestions. She, as well as many other teachers in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, have not only encouraged me to be myself and do my best, but they also helped to shape me into a hard-working individual.
