1. Sarah Conry
SLPA Program Application: Personal Statement
I find it difficult to put into words exactly why I want to be a Speech-Language
Pathologist because it wasn't until late high school that I even discovered the field. When I first
discovered Speech-Language Pathology it was during my sophomore year of high school when I
was on a mission trip. Through a conversation with one of the chaperones, I found out that he
was in school studying in Speech-Language Pathology. When I inquired into what exactly it was,
I received very insightful answers from an individual who truly loved where he was going in life,
and I became extremely intrigued. I was told that the field was enormous and versatile in which
one can work with a variety of populations, including individuals with special needs and young
children, which are the populations I'm most interested in. I've always known that whatever I
chose to do as a career, I want to be working with people, doing work that has a purpose and
outward indications of being beneficial. The more I learned about Speech-Language Pathology,
it just seemed to fit into all the criteria I wanted and needed. When I was a junior in high school,
I found an opportunity to shadow a Speech-Language Pathologist in an elementary school
setting. It was a fantastic experience and just completely reinforced my desire to pursue Speech-
Language Pathology as a career.
Since that time, my interest in speech and language disorders has never wavered. My first
year of college was at a small private school in St. Louis, MO, by the name of Fontbonne
University. I chose the school mostly because of the financial aid that was offered to me and
because I was also interested in becoming a deaf educator which is a major they offer there.
Though my experience there was not by any means horrible, I knew I would never have the
opportunities I really wanted and needed there, and that prompted my switch to Nebraska.
My nearest goal is to enter the Speech-Language Pathology program here at UNL and
then following closely behind that, to graduate college. The next goal would be to attend
graduate school and become a fully certified SPL. After I have my master's degree, I see myself
working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in a clinical or hospital setting in a large metropolitan
area. Those categories of the SLP field greatly appeal to me and I really would like to work with
a variety of clients and do a variety of different things on a daily basis. That's where I ultimately
see myself and what I am currently working toward.
The qualities that make me different and unique are my great desire to work hard for my
career and for the rest of my life. Though it may sound like an overused phrase, I really do want
to help people. For me, working with people and the feeling of doing purposeful work is a vital
part of what accomplishment and success are. I think that's why therapy in the general sense
really appeals to me. I have plenty of experience with living in different places and in different
environments which has been and will continue to be very valuable in terms of being able to
relate to people from any and everywhere. I believe that I'm very personable and can engage
with all sorts of people of different backgrounds; I'd like to opportunity to use my natural talents
within my career. I appreciate the ability and need to continuously be learning and furthering
myself in how to better help others. I'm a hard worker and naturally try my best at the tasks I'm
given and I try to give that same mentality and energy to those around me. All together I think
that I have the kind of personality and natural talents that one needs to be a successful Speech-
Language Pathologist.