Welcome University of Akron Extern

March 2007

Marian Niese, student extern from the University of Akron who is a first- year student in the Speech-Language Pathology Master’s Degree program, spends each Wednesday with us at the Clubhouse this Spring semester. Her hometown is Medina, OH.

Clubhouse members interviewed Marian recently. They asked her to name one thing she has learned by being at the Clubhouse that she did not know before. She answered, “One thing that I have learned by being here at the Clubhouse is that when a person suffers a TBI, their life changes, but they embark on a new journey that is full of wonderful moments and potential.”

They asked her what she is learning from her experience that will make her a better speech pathologist. Marian replied, “From this experience, I have learned that each person with a TBI has their own set of special talents, and it is the job of people working with them to discover these talents and build on them. This will help make me a better speech pathologist.”

When asked why she decided to study speech pathology, Marian answered, “I wanted to become an SLP because I grew up with an uncle who is deaf, and I witnessed the different ways that people communicate, as well as the frustration that ensues when one cannot express his/her thoughts and be understood. I wanted to make a career out of helping people over come communication barriers.”

Thank you, Marian, for sharing your time and talents with us!