Welcome to Speak, Play, Love -- a blog created for the three types of people in the world:
(1) speech-language pathologists
(2) those who are undergoing the dreadful process of becoming speech-language pathologists
(3) those who wish they were speech-language pathologists! (HA)
Kidding!--I like to add humor to everything!-- This blog is actually for anyone who is interested in reading it! So hello and thank you in advance for taking your time to read my blog.
Kidding!--I like to add humor to everything!-- This blog is actually for anyone who is interested in reading it! So hello and thank you in advance for taking your time to read my blog.
My name is Samantha Rinato. I am a proud graduate of the Speech Pathology Program at Brooklyn College (located in Brooklyn, New York). Throughout my graduate school journey I have had the pleasure of meeting five amazing young women, who I like to call life-long friends: Bianca, Jaclyn, the Jennifers (2), and Rinat. Together, throughout our journey, we have laughed together, cried together, and of course studied together! Without them, I would not be the speech pathologist that I am today. Now, if you're an educator or any type of therapist, you know how important it is to set realistic goals for your clients. My goal for this blog is for me to share my personal experiences, as well as each of my friends' own unique experiences in the field of speech-language pathology, from being novice clinicians to eventually seasoned professionals. I am hoping that the information in this blog will help others who are considering their careers in this field, trying to choose the best setting/age group to work with, vent about their own challenges in the field, and share information about their experiences and professionalism. The long term/overarching goal of this blog is to create relationships and form bonds with other professionals in the field, to open doors for new opportunities, and of course to better improve the lives and communication abilities of those who present with speech and language deficits by what better way than having discussions and sharing success stories!
From Grad School to the Working World
Samantha Rinato
M.S., CCC-SLP, TSSLD
September 2014 Graduate of Brooklyn College
September 2014 Graduate of Brooklyn College
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. EdisonIf you have already been through the process of applying to graduate schools, I don't have to explain the trials and tribulations; however, if you have not yet been through the process, RUNNNNNN!!! Just kidding-- you'll get through it! Especially, if you're passionate about this field of study.
Grad school started off just as I had expected it-- tedious, time consuming, stressful, yet interesting. Meeting friends who I shared so many things in common with and creating this support group made grad school smooth sailing in the beginning. But we hit a few bumps in the road. SCRATCH THAT! We hit a few gigantic pot holes, lost a few tires, and had to do our best to repair what was broken by depending on one another to carry us through. The first pot hole occurred on March 20, 2013, a few days before the start of spring break, I got the worst phone call I could imagine-- my mom had passed away. On top of this horrible news, the cause of her death was shocking and disturbing. My mom was a victim of a homicide. Using my academic studies as a distraction, I locked myself in my room and buried my head in my books to study for midterms. As I planned to return back to school after spring break, the dread of facing faculty and my colleagues left a burning knot in my stomach. With the help of my support group (close friends and family) I was able to resume my studies and to continue giving therapy to clients who came to Brooklyn College for speech therapy. It was difficult, but somehow I had the strength to persevere and I knew it's what my mother would have wanted.
Just when I thought the tragedies were over, I got another phone call on September 27, 2013 delivering the news that one of our best friends from graduate school had tragically passed away in a car accident. With the comprehensive exam approaching, which we all planned to study for together, we were all miserable and ready to throw in the towel. But that's not what our friend would have wanted. So we did the best we could to meet several times per week and study our asses off for the comprehensive exam. There was no option, we were all passing "the Comps," for our dear friend Jennifer. Results were in-- we all passed the Comps, and it was the first time we had all smiled in a while. Although that was exciting news, we were heartbroken and missed our friend. Attending class wasn't the same. Nothing was. So we decided to open a scholarship in her name. We initiated a fundraiser on GoFundMe.com which enabled us to raise a substantial amount of money in less than 24 hours. We accumulated well beyond our $10,000 goal. Realizing how loved Jennifer was, we set a higher goal for an endowment scholarship, which lasts much longer than the scholarship we originally aimed for. With the help of Jennifer's loving family, we were able to set up the endowment scholarship in her name. A sincere thank you to all who contributed in making this scholarship possible, to the Silverstein family, to Brooklyn College for offering this scholarship, and to our dear friend Jennifer who left a large imprint on our hearts and taught us so much in the short time that we had spent together. Forever in our hearts.
Just when I thought the tragedies were over, I got another phone call on September 27, 2013 delivering the news that one of our best friends from graduate school had tragically passed away in a car accident. With the comprehensive exam approaching, which we all planned to study for together, we were all miserable and ready to throw in the towel. But that's not what our friend would have wanted. So we did the best we could to meet several times per week and study our asses off for the comprehensive exam. There was no option, we were all passing "the Comps," for our dear friend Jennifer. Results were in-- we all passed the Comps, and it was the first time we had all smiled in a while. Although that was exciting news, we were heartbroken and missed our friend. Attending class wasn't the same. Nothing was. So we decided to open a scholarship in her name. We initiated a fundraiser on GoFundMe.com which enabled us to raise a substantial amount of money in less than 24 hours. We accumulated well beyond our $10,000 goal. Realizing how loved Jennifer was, we set a higher goal for an endowment scholarship, which lasts much longer than the scholarship we originally aimed for. With the help of Jennifer's loving family, we were able to set up the endowment scholarship in her name. A sincere thank you to all who contributed in making this scholarship possible, to the Silverstein family, to Brooklyn College for offering this scholarship, and to our dear friend Jennifer who left a large imprint on our hearts and taught us so much in the short time that we had spent together. Forever in our hearts.
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” – Marie Curie
