Danielle Gehrline: Abroad to Africa!

Profile by Madelyne Diaz

Danielle Gehrline has always known she wanted to be a teacher and one thing on her bucket list was go to Africa. She decided what better way to fulfill her dream of traveling to Africa than going there on behalf of becoming a future educator. Danielle is a childhood education major at Pace University and is currently a sophomore. When Danielle studied abroad she went the summer right before sophomore year began.

Overview of study abroad experience

“I spent a month in the capital city of Ghana through an organization called USAC, a global partner of Pace. While I was there, I worked with a non-profit organization that allowed me to teach math and English to children from the ages of 5-10. I also volunteered at an orphanage and took two classes at the University of Ghana, where I stayed. ” 

The Love and Passion for Kids

She knew she had a passion for working with kids when she was only 10 years old. Throughout her years attending school she would volunteer with various teachers which ultimately led her to becoming a teacher herself.

 “I began doing outreach projects with impoverished areas in Africa which is how I learned about how much the education that children in Ghana receive, lacks. Knowing this, I felt I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing about it, so I made the decision that I would one day make it there to help.”

Experience Studying Abroad

For the most part Danielle was really excited to study abroad in Africa. As the days came close to going, of course she had some doubts but she read a quote by Marc Anthony hat reads “Her passion burned brighter than her fears” which really made her believe she was making the right decision to go to Africa to make difference in the life of children.

Her Impact

“I know for a fact that those kids made much more of an impact on me than I did on them, but I still have faith that I was able to touch some of their lives.  The reason I believe this, was because of how grateful the children that I met acted in response to my being there.”

“Two of the girls in particular, Rosie and Evelyn, were attached to my hip from the moment I arrived to the moment I had to leave.  They even found out when my last day in Ghana was, and walked 30 minutes from home to my residence hall at the University just to hug me goodbye.”

Advice For Future Students Studying Abroad

• Just Go!
• Travel when you’re young
• Take advantage of college study abroad programs—there are so many out there
• Do not let your fears get in the way
• Make the most of your time there
• ENJOY IT!

Speech Pathology with Jenny

Alum Profile: Jenny Weisberger (’17)

Profile by Coral DiMichele (’21)

“Language is at the core of reading and writing”

Recognizing Passion

Jenny has always wanted to help people; her grandma was a nurse and she saw how happy helping people made her. While Jenny thought she would go into education, she realized speech pathology would allow her to help people across various age groups.

Background

Jenny attended Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Marywood’s five-year speech pathology program. Currently, she is working at several clinics. Jenny says speech pathology is broader than many people expect. Pediatric sessions are proactive and the main focus for clients is to fix delays in their speech development. In geriatrics the primary focus is getting a client’s skills back to how they were before an accident or event occurred.

“The main difference is between developing skills and re-developing skills”

Speech pathology focuses on receptive language; it is important to develop fluency and correct stuttering. Developing feeding and swallowing skills are also primary objectives.

 Role of Reading & Writing

Although speech pathology might not come to mind when one thinks of a writing career, reading and writing play an important role in Jenny’s profession. Jenny uses writing in her evaluations, client reports, IEPs (Individualized Educational Plans), and writing emails or letters. As a therapist, Jenny’s writing is crucial in obtaining the appropriate services for her clients.

“How therapists phrase sentences are really important because it affects insurance agencies and their willingness to provide aid, especially for adults receiving therapy.”

“Language skills lead to proper and future success in reading and writing.”

Reading and expanding vocabulary provides clients with sociolinguistic awareness. Despite Jenny’s pediatric clients not being able to read, in sessions she shows them a picture of an apple, and says the word “apple”, in order to enforce the idea that the picture is fact an apple and what the word “apple” looks like. To explain abstract ideas to children, Jenny read It’s Raining Cats and Dogs, a book that demonstrates the use of sarcasm and idioms.

First-grade phonics is also imperative in learning how to read; incorporating the knowledge that every letter makes a sound with whole language to create balanced literacy aids reading skills.

“There is a song we teach for the sounds of letters; it goes like this: ‘T says Tah Tah.’”

Jenny’s writing skills are not only crucial for her clients’ progress, but also her own professional development. Reports are necessary because they show the growth of the client to parents/caregivers. If a family feels inadequate service is being provided or their child is not making progress, written reports serve as documentations to avoid law-suits. Similarly, speech pathologists can get audited by the state and they must have records to account for each client.

“Writing evaluations are hard work, but they are so fulfilling because it fuels my clients’ needs.”

 Personal Growth

Jenny has found that speech pathology intertwines English and science. The English aspect involves teaching language, vocabulary, pronunciations, phonics, and fluency. Science ties in the anatomy of muscles and the body.

“I am grateful I took AP English and science in high school, it provided me with a good background of both, since my profession is a combination of the two.”

Throughout her career, Jenny has seen growth not only in her clients, but also herself. She has always been a people person and hearing her clients’ stories has allowed her to become more empathetic.

“It is crazy to see disorders and struggles my clients have, it reminds me how good my life is. When I see what others are struggling through it reminds me what could have been.”

Aspirations

For college students Jenny’s advice is to find a balance between doing well academically and taking care of yourself. She recommends teachers to get to know the speech pathologist in your school to create beneficial sessions to foster children’s success.

 “I want my clients to be successful, so I take time to learn what other people are doing with them.”

 “You do not need to be perfect, just work at getting better and growing in what you are doing.”