New Major Reflects Growth in Speech-Language Pathology

“I believe that one of the main reasons I was able to get into UNC Chapel Hill was because of the opportunities I was given at Stonehill college,” said Lorraine Smith ’17, who earned her master’s degree in speech and hearing sciences in the nationally renowned University of North Carolina Chapel Hill program. “I am proud to say that I graduated from Stonehill not just because of the academics but also because of the people that never stopped supporting me in all my academic endeavors.  

“The minor was a great experience,” adds graduate Grace LeBlanc ’19, who also earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and now works as a speech-language pathologist for students ages 11 to 22 at the May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Randolph, Massachusetts. In this role, she partners with teachers and staff to implement individual student goals in the classroom, conducts social groups to help students learn new skills for interacting with others, and assists the students in developing self-advocacy skills as well as techniques for managing their own learning devices and other aids. 

LeBlanc continued: “I loved that we had professors who were working in the field at the time too. It helped me gain perspective regarding what a career in speech-language pathology could be, and the confidence I could do it.”

Renaming the program from speech pathology to its current title is yet another change that more accurately reflects the range of career options students can pursue after graduation.

“The field has become broader,” said Goldberg. “We work with people who have hearing loss, experience feeding and swallowing disorders, are nonverbal, or who may need adaptive communication devices. It’s not just about speech and language, but communication as a whole.”

Another standout feature of Stonehill’s program is the strong relationships it has built with real-world employers, offering students a breadth of internship opportunities. Current student Kelly McCormick ’24 completed an internship at Village Speech in Stonehill’s hometown of Easton. The private practice is owned by Karen Howe, an instructor at the college. 

“My internship confirmed for me that I’m going into the right field,” said McCormick. “We learned about the different assessments we would use, how to conduct a session and how to counsel families. I’ve observed a speech-language pathologist before, but it was a highlight to do it in this setting.”

Post-graduation, many students in Stonehill’s program have pursued graduate degrees at leading schools such as Boston University, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Northeastern University, Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

“You need 25 observation hours for graduate school programs, which I was able to complete through my internship,” said psychology major Molli McNeil’19, who interned at Let’s Talk in Easton, a private practice owned by Stonehill alum Amy Mello ’06. “The opportunity to watch a speech-language pathologist doing their job, and seeing what I could do if I pursued a graduate degree, was really helpful to me.”

That path led to McNeil’s current career as a speech-language pathologist for Quincy Public Schools in Quincy, Massachusetts, where she serves at two different elementary schools, teaching language and communication skills to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and supports children learning in both regular and special needs classrooms. 

According to Goldberg, one of the biggest benefits to a speech-language career is how rewarding it can be for the patient and practitioner alike. 

“It’s extremely fulfilling to be part of other people’s growth and development,” she said. “By working on their communication skills, we get to see them blossom as human beings.