My journey to becoming a speech-language pathologist began right out of High School - I always had a fascination with language and decided to major in Linguistics in Undergrad. I took a Child Language Acquisition class early on in my schooling, and immediately became interested in finding a way to play an active role in child language development.I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Linguistics from the University of Southern Maine with a concentration in Speech Language Sciences in 2016, and then went on to complete my Master’s degree from the University of Virginia in Speech-Language Pathology in 2018. During my career, I have garnered experience in Early Intervention (birth to three years old), outpatient pediatrics, public school, and specialized private day schools. I have worked with individuals from ages 1-22 with a wide range of communication needs. In particular, I enjoy working with articulation and phonological processing disorders, early language delays, and augmentative-alternative communication (AAC). I believe that no one therapy approach fits every child, and like to collaborate with the child and parent while using a variety of methods to figure out what will elicit the most possible progress. I feel that being able to communicate authentically shapes our own self-identities and the way we experience the world, and as a result I feel strongly about approaching speech therapy in a way that facilitates the child’s autonomy and encourages them to say what they want to say, the way that they want to say it. Additionally, I really enjoy working with parents, caregivers, teachers, and other clinicians to implement a team-based approach to help the child grow and meet their goals across contexts. I love finding ways to implement speech and language strategies into everyday experiences through play and routines so that communication skills can be embedded into the child’s life in a natural, functional, and salient way. When I’m not learning more about speech language pathology or creating therapy materials, I like reading, listening to podcasts, dabbling with musical instruments, and practicing hot yoga. 

Favorite color: Purple

Favorite dessert: A scoop of ice cream with a warm cookie or brownie! 

Pets : I have an adorable torti cat named Erie but we call her “Little Cat”. 

Favorite Disney character: Maui

Favorite Hobbies: Yoga, singing, spending time outdoors, reading

Favorite Animal: Elephants 

Random fact about me: I received speech therapy as a child to work on the /r/,  /l/, and “th” sounds!