Name: Rachel Baldwin
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Graduation Date: May 2017
Company: Clinton County RESA
Location: St. Johns, MI
Amount of time at internship: January - April 2016
How did you become interested in becoming a speech-language pathologist? My grandmother is a retired speech-language pathologist, which is how I initially knew about the field. I grew up listening to my grandmother's stories about how rewarding the profession was and how much she loved her job. Early in my undergraduate experience I took an introduction speech pathology course and shadowed an SLP in a school setting. Those experiences solidified my love for all the different aspects of the field and my desire to become a speech pathologist.
Tell us about your graduation school journey: I cannot believe my first year of graduate school at Michigan State is almost complete and I absolutely love being part of Spartan Nation! I completed my undergraduate degree at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where I minored in child studies. Michigan State's unique four rotation internship program has given me the opportunity to focus my internships around my interest of working with children in a variety of clinical settings.
Describe the clinical setting and population you are working with at your current internship: I am currently interning with Michigan's Early-On service program at Clinton County Regional Education Service Agency (CCRESA), which provides in-home visits for children birth to age three. My caseload includes children with a range of disabilities including autism spectrum disorder, expressive/receptive language delay, hearing impairment, articulation impairment, apraxia, and other developmental disorders.
How has your internship helped prepare you for your career? This experience has highlighted the importance of family-centered therapy to me because I work closely with families on a daily basis. I also collaborate with other professionals and see the benefit of working in a team. Learning the multifaceted perspectives of a team has supported my understanding of the Early-On service program and I can see how working in a team setting would carry-over to future internships.