Tag: alumni

RST alumna Simmons discusses the importance of giving back

July 25, 2024 | Sam Rink

RST alumna Julie Simmons has joined AHS’ Board of Visitors (Photo provided)

Pivotal. That is how Julie Simmons, chief operating officer and co-founder of Paragon Marketing Group, described her experience earning a master’s degree in Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The experience not only influenced her successful career in sports marketing, but also led her to where she is now, continually offering her generosity to the community that fostered her professional growth.

“When you truly learn and you really take to heart the lessons from your college experiences, I think you naturally want to give back to and support the institution that shaped you,” Simmons said.

Simmons has spent much of her career giving back to her alma mater, opening Paragon’s doors to current students in the form of mentorship and scholarships. The company sponsors four scholarships—one within Illinois’ own RST program as well as at Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University and DePaul University. 

For years, Paragon has also facilitated a number of internships with students in RST, as well as from other area universities.

“We strive for diversity in our recruitment, but supporting institutions within Illinois is particularly important to us,” Simmons said. “And because many of these applicants are local, it reduces the financial burden of internships and makes these opportunities more accessible.”

Internships at Paragon offer hands-on experience with sports marketing, priming students to work on a wide variety of client projects. According to Simmons, interns are exposed to different areas of the business including strategy, event logistics and planning, providing them with a broad understanding of the industry.

“For us, it’s about providing interns with a positive, real-world experience that equips them with the knowledge they need to pursue a career in sports marketing,” she said.

But Simmons didn’t want to stop at simply providing internships and scholarships. She is now part of the College of Applied Health Sciences’ Board of Visitors, an advisory board of volunteer alumni who aim to assist and advocate for the college’s goals. Simmons was nominated to the board in January of 2024 by Jean Driscoll, the assistant dean for advancement, who said “her [Simmons’] experience, leadership, and passion for service make her a wonderful addition to the board. Her accomplishments are too numerous to name, and the BOV will be a beneficiary of her talents and ideas.”

“I’m truly excited and honored that Jean nominated me for this position,” Simmons said. “For me, this is another way to give back to a place where I experienced tremendous growth.”

Simmons not only has her own professional expertise and experience on the corporate side of scholarships to offer the board, but also her unique experience as a woman owner in a male-dominated industry.

“When I started out, I was often the only woman in a room full of men, and that’s still often the case,” she said. “One of the most important things I learned was the value of finding advocates for myself and other women. Building that support network is crucial. When I worked at the University of Illinois in the athletic environment, I was the only woman on the promotions team for quite a while. Despite that, everyone was welcoming and open, showing me that you can coexist and support each other.”

Those experiences of positive mentorship are a large part of Simmons’ motivation to join the Board of Visitors, but she has yet another personal connection that draws her toward supporting an institution of learning. Simmons, being the first person in her family to go to college, has a particular appreciation for the privilege of higher education, especially for going on to receive her master’s degree from Illinois.

“If I didn’t have others helping me along the way, great mentors to guide me and people encouraging me to expand my horizons, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That’s what I want to do, as well. I want to provide others with the information they need, whether it’s about the sports industry, being a woman business owner or the importance of education. It’s all about paying it forward.”

Simmons reflected on the impact of a positive learning environment on her career and how it has influenced her and her peers to continue working with the university, recalling her time working with Michael Raycraft, a clinical associate professor in RST, and Stephen Staples, a member of the board.

“That’s why it was pivotal for me, and that’s why I feel very passionate about trying to give something back to something that really helped me.”

When it comes to her future on the board, Simmons expressed her excitement to join the Nominating and Governance Committee.

“I’m excited to be able to bring my background and experience,” she said. “I look forward to contributing substance and value to our initiatives. I’m excited to get some more meat on the bones.”

 

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Student Spotlight: Charlie Nudelman, a trained ear

May 10, 2023 | Ethan Simmons

Nudelman was raised by a speech language pathologist: His mother

Charles Nudelman, right, with adviser Pasquale Bottalico

What comes to mind when you hear “professional voice-user?” Perhaps the image of an opera singer or a sports announcer pops in your head.

Ask Department of Speech and Hearing Science doctoral candidate Charles Nudelman, and he’ll conjure dozens of examples: Canvassers, radio DJs, telemarketers, clergy and lawyers are just a few of the professions who’ve come to him with vocal problems.

“The voice is something I feel like we take for granted—we wake up in the morning and expect everything to go fine,” Nudelman said. “If you’re relying on your voice for your job, hoarseness is going to get worse as you use it. And there’s a lot of costs related to that.”

After spending a year diagnosing voice issues in a clinical setting, 2019 SHS graduate Nudelman has returned to his alma mater to obtain his doctorate, focusing his research on preventing vocal disorders for the near-30 percent of adults who face them.

Nudelman, from Gurnee, Ill., was raised by a speech language pathologist: His mother. But he came to the University of Illinois with his major undeclared, initially hoping to veer from the course she traveled.

“I wanted to carve out my own path, but I ended up loving the classes and loving the faculty of (SHS),” Nudelman said. “That’s what drew me here to the U. of I., knowing regardless of the path I took I would have a really good education. And it was true.”

Under his advisor and friend SHS Associate Professor Pasquale Bottalico, Nudelman has become a decorated student researcher within the department, receiving the Phyllis Ariens Burkhead Memorial Fellowship and the Elaine Paden Award this spring.

And for his presentation at 2023’s “Research Live!,” where graduate students describe their own studies to a judge panel of high school juniors, he came away with the grand prize of $500.

From the start of his undergraduate experience, Nudelman was using his communication skills often, joining student radio and broadcasting Illinois athletics events through Big Ten Network’s Student U.

“It brought me to figure out what exactly is the voice, how does it work, what is this instrument we all have? And how can I make it better while I’m on TV? That’s a wormhole to itself, and I’m still living in it.”

Those questions brought him to SHS 301: General Speech Science, taught by then-first-year Assistant Professor Bottalico. Nudelman sat in the front row every lecture, taking copious notes. He quickly attached to Bottalico’s “distinct” teaching style, and gratefully accepted an invite to his lab.

For the better part of six years, the pair have worked “nonstop” on projects together, even when Nudelman left to obtain his master’s degree from the MGH Institute for Health Professions in Boston. Now back at the Illinois, he’s set to obtain his Ph.D. in 2025.

“The stars aligned, he’s an amazing mentor and friend and person,” Nudelman said. “He’s not only looking to open doors for me but any person who works with him.”

What’s “astonished” Bottalico about his mentee is how Nudelman has responded to escalating expectations with every new research project. Just one year into his Ph.D. program, Nudelman’s research output is already comparable to that of an advanced scholar, Bottalico said.

“I have a very high standard, it’s not easy to surprise me.” Bottalico said. “And Charlie has done it constantly since we met.”

Nudelman’s winning study for Research Live! took a close look at the vocal performance of teachers. He used a virtual reality headset to simulate various classroom environments for 30 schoolteachers, closely monitoring the acoustics of their voices.

What it showed: Teachers who spoke to virtual classrooms fuller with simulated students reported more vocal discomfort and fatigue, Nudelman said, while larger virtual classrooms negatively affected the teachers’ voice quality.

“I think it’s something to think about within classrooms when class sizes are only increasing and we want our teachers to be comfortable,” Nudelman said. “I guess I’m a proponent for smaller class sizes based on this study.”

He has his sights set on a career in academia, “hopefully being a mentor like Dr. Bottalico has been to me to as many students as I can,” he said. But the doctoral student finds fulfillment in making research accessible to the general public as well.

For example: Instead of clearing your throat before speaking, sip on some water. Avoid whispering — it’s worse for your voice than just talking. And if you’re speaking to a large group, use a microphone and take pauses to breathe to avoid hoarseness afterward.

It’s this brand of practical science that made Nudelman feel right at home at AHS.

“It doesn’t matter what AHS major you are, you’re working with people to improve their quality of life,” he said. “Even though we’re all doing different things, the goal is the same, and you can feel that whenever you’re interacting with anyone in this college.

“It’s a great place to come if you’re interested in helping people.”

Editor’s note:

To reach Ethan Simmons, email ecsimmon@illinois.edu.
 

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Serving the profession through mentorship

July 10, 2022 | Anna Flanagan

A CFY pairs a first-year practitioner with an experienced practitioner in a mentoring relationship designed to ease the transition between student and independent provider of clinical services

Theodora Papastratakos completed her master’s degree in 2015 and her CFY during the 2015-2016 school year, her first with Aldrin Elementary School in Schaumburg.
Theodora Papastratakos completed her master’s degree in 2015 and her CFY during the 2015-2016 school year, her first with Aldrin Elementary School in Schaumburg.

When students take on their first professional position after completing their master’s degrees in speech and hearing science with a focus on speech-language pathology, they must also begin what is called a Clinical Fellowship Year, or CFY, required by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to earn the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). The CFY pairs a first-year practitioner with an experienced practitioner in a mentoring relationship designed to ease the transition between student and independent provider of clinical services.

Theodora Papastratakos completed her master’s degree in 2015 and her CFY during the 2015-2016 school year, her first with Aldrin Elementary School in Schaumburg.

“You dive right in, which is why you have a clinical fellowship supervisor,” she said. “It’s so different from being in graduate school and doing your clinical externships versus managing your own caseload. It’s a big leap.”

She found her own CFY experience positive, but also knew there were things she would have liked to change. During her first several years of practice at Aldrin Elementary, Theo felt she was still learning so much that she could not supervise a clinical fellowship. In the fall of 2021, the department head reached out to her to see if she’d be willing to supervise a new SLP who would be joining the school part time.

“I’d been practicing for seven years, and I think I realized that I do know a lot,” she said. “I was excited to share some of that knowledge with somebody coming into the field.”

She took the training course offered by ASHA and welcomed May 2021 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign SHS graduate Rachel Deichstetter to Aldrin Elementary as her first mentee. Some of Theo’s role involved just being available to Rachel to answer questions, walk her through district policies and procedures, and give feedback on her ideas.

“I would review her goals and the reports that she was writing and help her as needed,” Theo said. “I watched some of her therapy sessions and gave her feedback throughout the year. If she was experiencing something for the first time, I might help a little bit more. Toward the end of the year, she was practicing independently.”

Theo enjoyed assisting with Rachel’s transition from student to professional and working with someone fresh out of graduate school. “It was fun to see her gain more confidence throughout the year,” she said. “Sometimes when you’ve been practicing for a while, you get stuck in what you’re doing. Rachel brought fresh ideas and new ways of doing things.”

Theo will continue working at Aldrin Elementary while Rachel joins another school in the Schaumburg district for 2022-2023. “I’ll remain a resource for her in the future if she has questions or needs to bounce ideas off someone,” she said. She looks forward to her next opportunity to supervise a clinical fellow and mentor another budding speech-language pathologist into the profession.

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Oversen’s road to a Fulbright grant was paved by family

June 27, 2022 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Spanish was spoken in her childhood home

When she completes her Fulbright stay, Amanda Oversen plans on applying for graduate school

Amanda Oversen’s interest in linguistics has a very clear inspiration: her mom.

Oversen, a Speech and Hearing Science major who graduated in December 2021, was recently awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Spain. Her goal is to become a bilingual speech-language pathologist for elementary school-aged students.

That makes sense given her curiosity about languages, which she credits to her mother.

“My mom is from Honduras. She immigrated to the U.S. when she was 16. And interestingly enough, she moved to the U.S. because she wanted to learn English. She also has this curiosity about language, which I think kind of rubbed off on me,” Oversen said.

While in Spain, Oversen plans to learn Spanish Sign Language and connect with the local deaf community. She also is interested in how to cultivate cultural-linguistic diversity in the American school system.

“I think when we learn a different language, it opens up just so many doors,” she said. “You’re able to understand people on a different level. I find that really fascinating. I think a lot of that had to do with my mom growing up bilingual, too.”

Oversen, who is from Highland Park, Ill., served as a teaching assistant in the Child Development Laboratory in SHS, which amplified her desire to work with children.

“I loved how curious kids were, and how everything was new to them, how the tiniest thing—something that comes so commonly to adults—was mind-blowing to kids,” she said. “I just love the fascination that they had with things that adults take for granted. I think it would just be cool to help kids progress, and find confidence in their voice, despite the fact that they may have a speech or a language disorder.”

Picking Spain for her Fulbright application was an easy choice. Spanish was spoken in her childhood home, and she studied abroad in southern Granada during her sophomore year. Teaching in Spain has a family connection as well, as Oversen’s brother went there to teach English.

This time, Oversen will be stationed in the Canary Islands.

“The Canary Islands was never really on my radar, so when I found out I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s going to be quite an experience.’ I’ve never lived on an island before.”

Since graduation, Oversen has been working as an assistant teacher at an early childhood education center in Northbrook, Ill. When she completes her Fulbright stay, she plans on applying for graduate school, with the University of Illinois on the list.

“I’ve made kind of a master list of graduate schools. Almost all the schools are in Illinois, and a few out-of-state options. But I think I’d like to stay close to home, whether that be in Champaign or in Chicago.”

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

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Skating career led to kinesiology studies for Weinstein

April 08, 2022 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

It was a circuitous route to the University of Illinois for Lindsay Weinstein

Lindsay Weinstein recently found out she was accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of Illinois at Chicago

At one time in her life, Lindsay Weinstein thought admitting she needed a physical therapist meant she was “weak.” Now she is studying to be one.

The four-time national medalist figure skater is now a kinesiology major in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois. Weinstein, 22, recently found out she was accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, one of the top DPT programs in the country.

It was a circuitous route to the University of Illinois for Weinstein, a Buffalo Grove, Ill., native who left home at the age of 15 to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for Figure Skating in Colorado Springs, Colo. But for Weinstein, the ice patch began long before that.

“A lot of parents from my hometown put their kids into beginner skating around the age of three,” Weinstein said. “Around that age, my older brother had best friends performing in the local ice show at the rink that would end up becoming my home rink. And my parents took me and my brother to go watch it. And I’m watching them on the ice, and I looked up at my mom, and I was, like, ‘I can do that. I know I can do that.’ And my mom replied, ‘Whatever.’”

Weinstein’s mother had been reluctant to sign her up because her brother had not enjoyed skating and “made my mom’s life miserable. Every time they got to the rink, he would start crying. She (said) ‘I’m not signing you up. I don’t want to go through that again.’”

But Weinstein did not relent.

“Being the three-year-old little menace that I was, every time we drove past the rink, I would say, ‘Well have you signed me up? Have you signed me up? Why haven’t you signed me up? I know I can do that. Why haven’t you signed me up?’ And I just kept insisting that I could do it.

And so finally, I would say it took four months before they finally did it. And I got on the ice, and it was just like true love.”

It might have been love, but it was not always easy, Weinstein admits.

“You learn from a very early age in figure skating that it’s not a sport that you can be in halfway,” she said. “It’s not a sport that’s like a hobby. I was skating at 6:20 a.m. before school, getting picked up at 7:30, being taken to school. I had a special schedule. So I’d get picked up from school at maybe like 2 p.m., three periods before anyone else. And I would go back to the rink and go skate. It was my life. I wasn’t doing normal things, like having sleepovers, like the other kids were.”

Starting at the tender age of six, Weinstein began competing in the U.S. Figure Skating Association (USFSA) events. She competed for several years as a singles competitor but found her true passion was in pairs skating. By May 2013, she had partnered with Jacob Simon, and in their first season together, they won the pewter medal (fourth place) in the Novice level at the 2014 U.S. Championships. After this competition, Weinstein and Simon were named to Team USA and sent on several international assignments to compete at the Junior level on behalf of the United States of America.

At the 2015 U.S. Championships, the team earned another pewter medal, this time at the Junior level. Around this time, U.S. Figure Skating approached Weinstein and Simon about moving to Colorado to train at a more elite facility. Her partner, a senior in high school, planned to either go to college or to Colorado to train.

“At 14, I was put in a position where ‘Do I want to do this for a living? Am I willing to give up a normal high school life, a normal kid life for this?’ And I made the decision, ‘Yes, it is worth it to me,” she said.

Weinstein and Simon—without their parents—moved to Colorado Springs to train at the Olympic Training Center. Skating was the top priority, not school.

“College wasn’t necessarily on my agenda. I wasn’t looking at colleges,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking about college. I was thinking about getting through high school, and I was thinking about my skating career.”

That career began to bloom. Coached by Dalilah Sappenfield and Drew Meekins, Weinstein and Simon won the junior silver medal at the 2016 U.S. Championships and were named to the U.S. team for the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. The pair finished ninth overall in Hungary.

“That was definitely the highlight of both of our careers,” she said. “The season following was a tad difficult due to being a female, you start going through body changes. There is a lot of emphases and talk about body and eating.”

Around that time is when Weinstein first thought about kinesiology, although she didn’t know what kinesiology was at the time.

“I would say that was when I got my first pique of interest in physical therapy,” she said. “I have never been someone who had been injured. I had known so many people who had been off the ice with injuries. And I just was super lucky. I had never been injured. (But) when I moved to Colorado, and we were training at a more elite level, I started to feel a lot of impact on my knees.”

Reluctantly during that successful 2016 season, Weinstein started seeing a physical therapist.

“I hid the fact that my knees hurt,” she said. “I hid the fact from my coach. I hid the fact from my parents. And then finally the pain became too much. My right knee was my landing knee, and I was just wincing every single time I landed.”

Friends and colleagues advised her to see a physical therapist, “but I thought going to a physical therapist meant I was weak. I did not want to see one, which is interesting because now I am starting to become a physical therapist.”

That year was a turning point in many ways for Weinstein.

She and Simon were under pressure to stay certain sizes, and Weinstein especially felt “under a microscope” as she went through puberty at age 16. The Olympics, she realized, likely would not happen. Then 2017 became a year of change as she and Simon broke up—both professionally and romantically—and she decided to leave Colorado, where she felt mistreated by Sappenfield. Weinstein was one of several skaters to file complaints against Sappenfield with the United States Center for SafeSport, leading to Sappenfield’s suspension in October 2021 pending further investigation.

Weinstein ended up moving to Aliso Viejo, Calif., to train and rediscover her love for figure skating. But she also discovered something else.

“It helped me realize as much as I love this and as much as I am the person I am today because of skating, I’m ready to move on to something else,” she said.

That something else was physical therapy. A physical therapist who was treating her in California recommended applying to San Diego State; her father was convinced she needed to apply to more than one school, and she chose the University of Illinois, her dad’s alma mater. She got into both and chose San Diego State, but the temptations of the Southern California lifestyle made it challenging to stay academically motivated, Weinstein admitted.

But that changed when she transferred to Illinois.

“I’ve made Dean’s List every semester here,” she said. “The choice to come here, in particular, had a lot to do with proximity because I had been away from home since 15. And when I was in college at San Diego, I just realized it was way harder to be away from home in college.”

Weinstein, who will graduate in May, knew graduate school was the next step, but also knew she didn’t want to leave Illinois again. There are seven accredited DPT programs in Illinois, four in the Chicago area, close to home. She applied to Rosalind Franklin, Midwestern University, UIC, and Northwestern University, with UIC her top choice.

“I’d love to be in a big city,” she said, explaining her decision. “I’d love to not have to make all new friends again because I had to do that for San Diego and then again coming here to Illinois. Yes, UIC was my top choice, and I did get in.”

Weinstein knows a long road remains to complete her doctorate. But she knew the kinesiology program itself was no cakewalk.

“I will never forget sitting at my very first lecture and the advisor at San Diego (State) coming in and looking around the room and saying, ‘Most of you will not get into grad school. Honestly, a good portion of this room will probably not even be a kinesiology major next semester. This is a really hard major, and you will not achieve your dreams.’ And every semester that I made it through, I would just thank my lucky stars that I made it through,” she said.

After she completes her DPT program, Weinstein definitely has an idea of which populations she’d like to work with.

“I got into this as an athlete. And if I had the ideal situation that could come about for me, I would love to be a PT for a sports team. I would love to go watch practices, learn why injuries are happening, learn how to prevent them in specific regards to one specific sport.”

If not athletes, she’ll turn to another passion: children.

“I have always loved kids. I was the girl, who at 10 years old, was being driven to babysit. I adore kids. And if I could somehow go into (pediatrics), that would be my other dream. I feel like it would be awesome as a PT to work with girls that are around the same age as I was when things started kind of getting messy. And I can be there as somewhat of a guide to let them know the rights and wrongs of when someone’s talking about their body and body image and eating and eating disorders and depression. I do think that I could definitely make a huge impact as a PT for all people, whether athletes or not.”

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

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Alumni Spotlight—Megan Gaseor

Feb. 15, 2022 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Megan Gaseor, an RST alum who is now Assistant Director, Special Events for the Chicago Cubs.

Q: Why did you pick AHS?

A: Applied Health Sciences, and specifically Recreation, Sport and Tourism, has talented professors, an industry-focused curriculum, and allowed for hands-on experiences outside of the classroom which ultimately provided a unique opportunity to best position me for a career in sports.

Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?

A: Dr. (Ryan) Gower’s passion for this industry was evident in some of my first RST classes, and made me want to find a career where I felt that same passion. Dr. (Michael) Raycraft was and continues to be an advocate for all of his students, especially to ensure their success within in the sports industry. My goal is to bring a piece of that to those I manage.

Q: What course did you most enjoy?

A: RST 410: Strategic Thinking in Recreation, Sport and Tourism.

Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?

A: I was interested in a career within sports-related business operations, but I didn’t have a definitive focus in mind. The classes and opportunities within RST allowed for me to explore a handful of different avenues, ultimately leading to events and operations.

Q: Did your AHS experience lead to your current job?

A: Definitely. My RST 485 internship at a large scale event production company turned into a full-time position after graduation. After four years at that role, the opportunity presented itself at the Chicago Cubs, and I made the transition over professional sports (while still focusing on events). AHS provided me with the foundation to obtain that initial internship, and continue to grow in my career.

Q: What is your current job?

A: I am the Assistant Director of Special Events at the Chicago Cubs. I focus on the strategy, development and operations of the Cubs’ Special Event business including Wrigley Field concerts, non-baseball sports, and other large scale events.

Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?

A: I truly appreciated my time within my sorority and value the friendships I gained there (many of whom are AHS Alumni). Then again, you can’t beat an Illinois football night game or Illinois basketball beating No. 1 Indiana at Assembly Hall in 2013.

Q: What would you say to recommend AHS to a prospective student?

A: AHS provides the opportunity to take learning outside of the classroom, with classes and opportunities that lend themselves to what you’ll experience after graduation. In addition, the network and relationships that you build within the AHS community will stay with you well beyond your years at Illinois. I could not have asked for a better experience.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

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Alumni Spotlight—Megan-Brette Hamilton

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Jan. 05, 2022 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Megan-Brette Hamilton, an SHS alum who is now an assistant professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Auburn University.

Q: Why did you pick SHS?

A: I remember writing my personal statement in 2011 and, as you do, you write the first part as a general statement and then address a specific school for the latter part. As I was writing the latter part of my personal statement for University of Illinois, I realized how much the school aligned with what I was looking for; reputation, professors, university campus setting. It helped that my aunt, someone who had been in the field for decades before me, encouraged me to choose UIUC, and that both of my parents earned degrees from UIUC. Finally, I got advice from a professor at another university to choose my program according to the person I was going to work with for four plus years. And then I found (former SHS Associate Dept. Head) Laura DeThorne. I emailed her, she and I had a phone conversation and I became excited about the work she was doing in her lab and the idea of learning from her. After that, I was convinced I needed to go to AHS/SHS. From day 1, Dr. DeThorne was a strong advocate for me and as a result I received the Graduate College Distinguished Fellowship Award. To be honest, not having to pay for school, that also helped me make my decision.

Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?

A: As I mentioned before, Dr. DeThorne was an advocate for me from day 1. She wasn’t just my advisor, she was someone who valued my clinical background and my prior experience. We eventually formed a very strong friendship and collegial relationship, and we still collaborate. I also was impacted by Dr. Julie Hengst. Not only was she a committee member of mine for 2 of my projects, but because she also had an extensive clinical career before academia, she was able to speak to me in a way that disarmed me about leaving a job where I was a master clinician to re-learning how to be a student. Dr. Robin L. Jarrett was also someone who has had a huge impact on me. I worked in her lab in a different department across campus. In order for me to be the kind of researcher I am today, I needed to learn other ways of doing research from her perspective. The field of CSD often uses quantitative methods and is predominantly White. Working with Dr. Jarrett helped me to learn about qualitative methods from a sociological perspective and understand academia from someone like me, a Black woman, who also was a full professor. Finally, working with Dr. Cynthia Johnson made a long-lasting impact on me. She was a constant source of encouragement as a growing researcher and I learned first-hand from her about how our field and academia had changed throughout the years.

Q: What course did you most enjoy?

A: You have to remember that I earned a degree that allowed/encouraged me to explore classes in other departments. The way I look at my journey at that stage of my life was to take what I knew about my field in the 17 years I’d been in it and then add to it other content areas to enhance the impact I wanted to have on the field of CSD. All that to say, Language, Identity, and the Politics of Schooling taught by Dr. Anne Haas Dyson in the College of Education was a course I really enjoyed. I loved this course because it brought together all of the areas I was passionate about, language, culture, education, and communication. It was a class that wasn’t afraid to talk about race and class and dialects. And it used qualitative methods:) It reminded me why I decided to return to school at the ripe old age of 34, lol.

Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?

A: As I mentioned earlier, I entered into the PhD program at age 34, after having had a first career as a practicing speech-language pathologist. I entered the program knowing that I was going to have three outcomes; 1) I was going to learn about some amazing content areas that I’d never been privy to, 2) I was going to learn how to do research, and 3) I was going to earn my doctorate. After that, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. I think being in the program prepared me well for my next steps even though I wasn’t sure what they’d be exactly. I ended up going into academia and constantly call myself “the accidental professor,” lol. I also didn’t know where my research focus would end up when I first started. I originally entered the program to study language processing differences with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience and ended up studying cultural-linguistic diversity with a focus on African American English. To be honest, being in the program helped me see a gap in our field that I could fill, so that’s what I’ve been working on ever since.

Q: Did your AHS experience lead to your current job?

A: Yes. I earned a doctorate from a research-intensive university in a department where I was taught how to do research and provided opportunities to teach and supervise. The skills I acquired in the program, including opportunities across departments and disciplines, allowed me to confidently apply for a tenure-track assistant professor position; which is my current job.

Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?

A: As a daily enjoyment, I really loved working with my PhD classmates. We were from all different backgrounds and studied so many different areas of communication. We learned so much from each other about life and our field. As a one-time kind of experience, I have to say that it was when I ended up working with a wonderful group of doctoral students from the College of Education and being awarded an internal grant. We used it to put on a 2-day workshop aimed at reimagining education for youth in and beyond the classroom. We brought in Drs. Geneva Smitherman, Ana Celia Zentella, H. Samy Alim, and David E. Kirkland. I loved being around all of those intellectual minds and inserting my communication sciences and disorders perspectives into their conversations of education and language.

Q: What does AHS mean to you?

A: I saw AHS as a place that provided me with opportunities to connect with a variety of people and to grow as a researcher and educator. As I said earlier, I originally entered the program to study language processing differences and ended up studying cultural-linguistic diversity. The beauty is that AHS was a place that allowed me to do either. As a result, I was able to become a researcher with a strong interdisciplinary focus who impacts clinical practice within the field of speech-language pathology and beyond.

Dr. Megan-Brette Hamilton is an assistant professor at Auburn University and an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist (SLP)/communication specialist. Prior to academia, Dr. Hamilton worked as an SLP for 10 years in New York City, the largest school district in the U.S., where most of her caseload consisted of African American and Hispanic children. Currently, her research focuses on the classroom/educational and clinical experiences of speakers of other dialects of English, with a particular focus on African American English-speaking children and adults. Her passion lies in exploring the intersection of culture, language/dialect, communication, and literacy. Dr. Hamilton’s work also focuses on the cultural-linguistic competence and perspectives of professionals and students working with culturally-linguistically diverse populations. Through her work, she engages with such professionals by educating them on the importance of recognizing and validating language variations, culture, and identity; thereby raising one’s cultural-linguistic competence. Dr. Hamilton is the host of the Honeybee Connection podcast, author of Successful Strategies for Classroom Communication, and owner of www.meganbrettehamilton.com where she blogs and provides resources. 

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

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Alumni Spotlight—Marilyn Adibu

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Jan. 10, 2022 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Marilyn Adibu, a KCH alum who is now at IT consultant.

Q: Why did you pick AHS?

A: I chose AHS because it provided me with the academic and professional knowledge and skills to pursue my career opportunities.

Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?

A: The professors who had the most impact on me were Dr. (Susan) Farner and Dr. (Reggie) Alston (my advisor).

Q: What course did you most enjoy?

A: I enjoyed my Health Administration, Rural Health (Special Topics), Introduction to Medical Ethics, Health Services Financing, and Community Health Organizations.

Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?

A: AHS helped me decide. I also joined a program called I-LEAP.

Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?

A: One of my favorite on-campus experiences was going to sports games (wrestling, volleyball, hockey, etc) as well as attending the AHS Alumni Speaker Series.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

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Alumni Spotlight—Jamaal Rahman

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Dec. 21, 2021 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Jamaal Rahman, a KCH alum who now owns and operates Burke Mill Chiropractic in Winston Salem, N.C.

Q: Why did you pick AHS?

A: I chose AHS because the program looked great! I loved the size of the program and it was very relevant to my career path which is chiropractic.

Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?

A: I would say Dr. (Marni) Boppart was one of my favorite professors at U of I period and Amy O’Neill was the best advisor that I’ve ever had. She was so great in my journey in the college.

Q: What course did you most enjoy?

A: That seems like forever ago, but I loved all of Professor Boppart’s classes and most labs!

Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?

A: I knew that I wanted to be a chiropractor and decided on kinesiology as my major later due to the above reasons.

Q: Did your AHS experience lead to your current job?

A: My AHS experience gave me more of a thirst for knowledge. To this day I still continue to be a student of how the body works, moves and heals so that I can help every patient who steps in my clinic.

Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?

A: I loved being around my peers all day. Labs were great! Who wouldn’t love working out for class! I still remember doing the VO2 test in class. Great memories.

Q: What does AHS mean to you?

A: AHS was the start of my career and helped further establish my passion for my field and bettering musculoskeletal help for my patients. Thank you, U of I and AHS!

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

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Alumni Spotlight—Sarah Beth Reno

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Dec. 17, 2021 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Sarah Beth Reno, an RST alum who is now Vice President of Guest Operations at Carnival Cruise Line.

Q: Why did you pick AHS?

A: I started my freshman year at U of I as a journalism major. But when I found out there was a major specifically for recreation, I immediately applied to transfer over. Growing up in a small town in Illinois, I always watched “The Love Boat” growing up. My dream was to leave small town and cold weather and work on a cruise ship. I really wanted my career to be fun. And I figured this was the path to get there.

Q: Why did you pick RST?

A: At the time, it was called Leisure Studies, so it took some courage to tell my friends and family this was my choice. And, when I went to visit someone at the college to talk about career opportunities, she informed me that “only magicians and comedians” work on ships. According to her, my career focus should be with the Chicago Park District. I’m sure she thought I was crazy when I asked her what that was (remember, I was from a VERY small town). Despite my lack of understanding, they let me in. I forged ahead, with the hope that a door would open for me somehow.

Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?

A: I had one professor that I will remember forever, and I lost track of him over the years (I know that’s a crazy thing to say in 2021). His name was Michael Phelan, and he made me and my fellow students feel we could do anything. We sat in his office for hours before and after class and talked about everything in life. He always told me that taking opportunities naturally leads to other opportunities. So, even if the job was not perfect—open the door and walk through it. That door will get you to another room (with another door or window) that may just be the opening to the perfect career. It was great advice. He also encouraged me to take an internship with the National Recreation and Park Association for a broader perspective. He was an amazing teacher, husband and father, and I will always remember his kindness and inspiration.

Q: What course did you most enjoy?

A: I’m too old to remember specific courses, but I enjoy all my courses because my professors were so much fun. Everyone was demanding but accessible, which I really valued. I always felt I found my home at AHS. I was no longer “lost” at a big university. This was a place I felt I could be myself and be appreciated for what I contributed.

Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?

A: I was able to secure a job within the cruise industry through AHS. A recent graduate, Sally Evans, worked at Norwegian Cruise Line. She returned to interview students to work as youth staff onboard during high-season holidays. I secured a job as a teen coordinator onboard during my college breaks and continued within the industry ever since.

Q: Did your AHS experience lead to your current job?

A: The program Sally set up for us was an inspiration for me as my career progressed. When I arrived at Carnival Cruise Line’s Entertainment department, I worked with my team to set up an internship program for recreation students across the country. It was a big success, and many of the students secured full-time jobs within the entertainment department after graduation. I actually returned a few years ago to speak to AHS students about this opportunity. The students were so impressive and far more well-rounded than I ever was at that age. They knew what they wanted and were going for it.

Q: What does AHS mean to you?

A: Looking back to my college career, there were two, distinct benefits to being part of AHS:

1. The camaraderie everyone had with each other. The atmosphere was like working on board a cruise ship. Everyone was so different, but we all had the same “zest” for life. We all supported each other 100 percent—whether it be for a personal reason or to help with a class project. We were in it together.

2. The staff’s focus on true learning and improving yourself for a better future. I recall taking business and marketing classes where students were so competitive and hyper-focused on their grade-point average—people would calculate their grades at the end of each test. I was always perplexed by these hard-driving business majors, who thought I was crazy for majoring in Leisure Studies. In AHS, it truly was about the love of learning, doing your best and developing skills to forge your path in life. The professors taught us so much more than just the facts. I’m so grateful for their guidance.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
 

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