Major(s) and Minor: Linguistics, Psychology/Cultural Anthropology
How did you decide on your major?
Interested in English, foreign languages, and psychology in high school, I found a career field that married the three subjects in speech-language pathology (SLP). Most intrigued by the theoretical, linguistic background of the SLP field, I chose to major in linguistics and pursue the Certificate in Speech and Hearing Sciences. Throughout the years, my love of language has evolved from an appreciation of its creative and cultural uses to a fascination with its underlying structure and everyday use, as I begin to study it from a scientific perspective.
What is it about your chosen field (and the department) that appeals to you?
Intrigued by the underlying complex processes of the seemingly simple act of speaking, I enjoy learning about language development and acquisition. Even basic sentences produced by children require a complicated understanding of language structure, meaning, and sound patterns. At what ages do humans acquire these incredible feats, and how? How come some sounds or stress and intonation patterns are difficult for non-native language learners to perceive and produce? Why are some languages more difficult to acquire than others?
Do you have a favorite class/professor within your major?
Phonology is my favorite linguistics course thus far. Fascinated by accents and language differences, I enjoyed learning about theories that explained why it is difficult for some speakers of one language to distinguish between two sounds of another language. For example, many native speakers of Japanese struggle to distinguish between / ɹ / and /l/ phonemes, two sounds which they seemingly collapse into one phoneme and unknowingly produce based on the phonological environment (according to place assimilation). In its essence, these theories captured one of the aspects of linguistics I enjoy the most - the presence of complex linguistic knowledge and processes that humans do not know they have and perform. Almost nearly from childhood, we are experts in a complicated talent that no other species has yet mastered.
What are your favorite academic experiences outside of your major?
Taking a course in Elementary Japanese allowed me to explore other cultures and apply linguistic concepts. It was a refreshing and fun break from my major and minor coursework. For example, I found that Japanese hiragana uses visual markers to denote voiced and voiceless sounds. To further explore the Japanese language and culture and entertain other academic interests, I will be studying abroad in Kyoto in the summer, learning about and comparing U.S. and Japanese social movements.
What are your other Rutgers activities?
Outside of the classroom, I hold a number of leadership and volunteer positions supporting my peers and disadvantaged populations. This year, I served as a mentor in two Honors College mentoring programs (HC Ally and HC Mentoring Pod), one of which involved working with a linguistics graduate student to guide HC students interested in linguistics, cognitive science, and other related subjects. I also facilitated workshops on social justice issues as an Honors College Diversity Peer Educator. When not guiding students on academic and social issues, I delivered cognitive-behavioral interventions such as discrete trial training (DTT) in a special needs classroom as a Behavioral Assistant through the Rutgers Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research. As further SLP exploration, I work in Dr. Karin Stromswold’s language acquisition lab on a project challenging the critical period hypothesis. Next year, I will serve as the president of the Rutgers Speech and Hearing Sciences Club.
What are your plans following graduation?
After graduation, I plan to attend graduate school to become a licensed speech-language pathologist. I am also considering pursuing a PhD in SLP, and hope to travel and offer speech services abroad as a volunteer.