Scholarship Essay Entry – Jenna B.

Communication and Society
An individual's dreams, ambitions and visions allow them to participate in society and make their world a better place. When one choses to pursue their dreams in order to do so, they begin to take the first step towards improving their community. In the 2010/2011 school year, I will begin to take this initiative as I pursue a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Grant Macewan University. This degree will become an important stepping stone towards achieving my goal of becoming a Speech Pathologist, which is a professional who aids individuals in communication and swallowing disorders. By pursuing my goal of aiding individuals who have difficulty communicating, I can in turn assist them in improving their quality of life, therefore making my community a better place.

Communication is a fundamental aspect of society today. It provides opportunity for ideas and innovations to be shared, and relationships to be developed. However, there are many individuals in society who are not able to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas with one another due to long term speech disorders such as stuttering, or newly acquired ones such as the development of an accent when learning and speaking a new language. By taking courses in both Psychology and French as part of the Bachelor of Arts program, and taking further studies in the University of Alberta's Speech Pathology and Audiology program, I will be able to provide both sympathetic and clinical care to my clients. Learning a new language will aid in my understanding of the development and eradication of accents, and courses in psychology will aid me in understanding disorders at a psychological level.  Connecting emotionally with clients and providing clinical care will allow me to become a well-rounded speech pathologist that provides a high quality service to their community.

Speech Language Pathologists assist individuals in communicating with society. Without this aspect of communities, the relay of information and development of relationships would be extremely difficult. It is therefore my goal to become a certified SLP, and be able to aid my community in improving one of its most important features. By entering into a profession which aids in the functions of society, my dreams and goals can undoubtedly make my community a better place.