Elisa-Marie Santobello, MA, CCC-SLP

Profile: Elise-Marie Santobello
By: Gabriella D’Ippolito

Elisa-Marie Santobello graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, but she quickly realized she didn’t want to work in a lab. Her parents told her to do some research into what careers were similar to psychology or at least integrated psychology within them in any way.

So she started her journey…

“I became a TA in one of the classrooms I was observing in. There, I got a firsthand look at how important PT [Physical Therapy], OT [Occupational Therapy], and Speech were to a child’s development should they need services. I was able to witness children with no language expression find their voices, which truly sealed the deal for me. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Elise (on the left) with Gabi

Elisa is a a medical speech-language pathologist. The “CCC-SLP” in her title stands for “Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists.” She currently works in the outpatient department at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, New York. I know Elisa from cheerleading in high school—she was my coach. She is also a very good friend of mine. I think her career path is so interesting!

Reading and Writing as a Speech Language Pathologist

For starters, every patient who comes in for an evaluation with Elisa must have an extensive document written up spanning current complaints, past medical history, deficits within the 9 scoped of SLP practice, diagnosis, severity level, and treatment plan/goals targeting the areas of deficit—and Elisa said that was only a FEW things! These documents are extremely important because, depending on how you present your patient, you are someone who can quite literally make or break insurance covering treatment for that patient.

“Your writing is a pivotal part of your daily treatment notes, progress summaries, and discharge summaries that justify continuation of treatment, progress made by your patients, and reasons why they no longer need therapy. As much speech and language therapy as I do in a day, I do just as much writing, if not MORE! It is definitely a necessary evil, and some days it is enjoyable and others it is not!”

In short: writing is a big chunk of her career!

SLP’s are expected to read and interpret high complexity documentation, evaluations, standardized assessments, and much more in order to ensure they are providing the best and most beneficial treatment to our patients.

“Being able to decode language and synthesize it within the parameters of our field is one of the most important skills we must exercise on a daily basis.”

Who influenced you?

Elisa’s mom has influenced her in a big way in general.

“From day one of the start of my prerequisite speech courses, through the waitlist notifications, to the second-round applications, through the tears, stress, and triumphs, she has been by her side yelling “no matter what, DO NOT GIVE UP.” Her motto has always been “you get knocked down 7 times, you stand up 8.” She never let me quit even when the times were tough, and for that, I credit her as being the most influential person who helped lead me to career success.”

Elisa’s Advice to College Students

She said that we should “Work HARD!”  There are going to be TONS of applicants who have the same types of resumes, grades, standardized test scores, and interview answers as you.

“What I can tell you is do absolutely everything to make yourself stand out from the crowd. If you think that extra month of shadowing in that hospital/school/clinic won’t help—it might! That research project that could get you published—go for it! I cannot stress preparedness enough. The field is competitive and setting yourself up for success is your best asset. If this is your passion, never relent in your attempts at making your dream happen.”

Reading Into Professor Laura Toffler

Faculty Profile: Professor Laura Toffler
by Caroline Migliaro

Background

Professor Laura Toffler is not only an English professor here at Pace University, but she is also a published author as well. Growing up Professor Toffler loved to read and write and always wanted a career that involved writing. As a child she never wanted to go to sleep at night—all she wanted to do was stay up and write.

When she was in middle school, she and her friends would always write funny stories and letters with each other in their spare time. Doing something that makes you feel good and welcoming the responses of others helped her to find her passion and stay motivated. 

Methodology and Inspirations

Reading and writing is essentially everything in Professor Toffler’s career. In order to be a writer, you need to read regularly and enjoy it. Finding inspiration to write can be very hard and when something doesn’t click it can be very discouraging. After a while, she says, everyone begins to develop a critical sense of what’s working and what’s not. When it comes to writing stories professionally it is essential to know what’s selling in that specific market and to be very aware of the current trends. It’s important to live life from a certain point of view and to understand your voice.

Professor Toffler says that writers are constantly changing, learning, and growing. It’s important to set new goals and even adjust your older goals; being open-minded is key. For example, Professor Toffler’s agent just suggested that she should do a picture book. She never considered getting into picture books until it was suggested.

Finding inspiration from other people helped her on her journey to becoming an author. A faculty member that inspired her in her past was Patricia Reilly Giff. Professor Toffler used to take workshops taught by Giff and found them to be very helpful and made her feel a sense of excitement about writing. Giff was very generous and well established which made her a perfect mentor. Due to Giff’s brilliant advice and teaching methods, everyone from that specific class that Patricia Reilly Giff taught has gotten published. Professor Toffler also took inspiration from very well established writers and their pieces. Two of professor Tofflers favorite authors are JD Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut. 

Her Career Today

Although she found success in becoming an author it wasn’t an easy road getting to where she is today. She wound up, in the end, acquiring an MFA from NYU in dramatic writing. Today Professor Toffler is the author of two books called The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz and My Totally Awkward Supernatural Crush.

Being a writer allowed Professor Toffler to meet other friends within her industry with whom she is able to relate to and give/receive advice about the industry. To this day she is still surprised she is lucky to have a career within this industry and is surprised she was able to stick with it. She says, in the beginning, you always start out hoping you will be successful when the truth is nothing comes easy in the arts.

It’s important for new writers to be on their toes, understand that the industry can be very complicated, and to understand that the industry is ALWAYS changing. Overall she is very happy to be teaching and writing. She says that her students are what inspires her and that combining family with teaching and socializing with work means the world to her.

Advice To Students

At the end of my interview with Professor Toffler, I asked her if she has any advice for current English majors, education majors, college students, etc. She proceeded to give me a long list of advice that she would have for these students here at pace. Here is some of the advice she has:

• Find your own unique writing voice.
• Read and write often.
• Start to take workshops and see what’s working with your writing.
• Join some sort of professional organization for writers and authors.
• Begin to research the industry of writing.
• Find ways to interact with other new writers, whether it’s connecting with people virtually and/or in workshops.
• Know that everyone has an equal chance and connections in the industry don’t necessarily matter.
• Keep trying and don’t give up.

The Call to Adventure

Profile: Meaghan Cameron
By: Brent Cameron

Meaghan Cameron has always loved to read and write. Though it wasn’t always clear to her how this passion could be her profession—or if she even wanted it to be.

Meaghan Cameron went to high school in Mahopac, NY where she graduated with honors.  From Mahopac, she went to Boston University to study pre-med, but her heart wasn’t in it.  After only one semester Meaghan left Boston.  She returned to New York and went to SUNY Purchase to pursue a degree in literature.

“Writing was always a big part of my life.  But I was never sure I wanted to make it my life.”

When she attempted to focus on creative writing and was told that it was too late for her to apply to the creative writing program at SUNY Purchase, she decided to take a different route and just focus on getting her degree.  She ultimately received her Bachelor’s degree in literature.

A Separate Path

After graduating with her literature degree, Meaghan put her pursuit of English on hold and focused on her career in the food industry.

She always loved the fast pace of restaurants and had been working part time in them since she was sixteen. Additionally, she had been somewhat obsessed with watching shows on the Food Network and seriously thought about becoming a chef. She never wanted to make writing her career for fear that it would take away from the intrinsic joy of writing. Her rejection from the creative writing program at Purchase played a motivating role in the shift as well.

“Every door that I tried to open towards creative writing seemed to slam on me!”

After having worked as a server and eventually an assistant manager for a few years, Meaghan began to grow restless with the hectic pace she once loved.  She wanted to combine her love for both food and writing and thought working for a food magazine would fulfill that dream. She said it came down to either applying to culinary school or applying to a master’s program in publishing.  She decided on the latter and was accepted to Pace University.     

Follow Your Bliss

Meaghan attributes her getting accepted to Pace as being the seminal step that completely changed the direction of her life!

“Pace gave me the keys to unlock my dream of combining writing and food.”

While studying at Pace she interned with two magazines and got to write about food and wine. She interviewed a sushi chef, got to taste Canadian ice wine, and finally got published as a food writer. After receiving her Masters in Publishing from Pace, Meaghan went on to work at several different companies, where she combined her passion in writing and love for food with the professional skills she had attained at Pace University. 

She worked at places such as Readers Digest, Martha Stewart Living Magazine, and Outside Television.  All of which served as steps that led to her eventually attaining her dream job at Food Network.

Living The Dream

 Meaghan is now Site Manager at FoodNetwork.com. She says it is her absolute dream job! It pairs her love of writing with her love of food.

“The most rewarding part of my job is when a post I create gets millions of hits!  It’s just so exciting!”

Meaghan says that at the Food Network she is literally creatively writing all the time.  She said in addition to being in charge of managing the presence of Food Network’s shows on FoodNetwork.com—her job consists of things like creating Instagram stories, Facebook posts, throwing Twitter parties, and creating narratives out of content from shows and people such as Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa.

“I have been working at Food Network for several years and most days I still have to pinch myself to make sure it’s not just a dream.”

After having been asked what advice she would give to current English students, she replied by saying “Follow your bliss and aim with your heart.”  She said that if there is one thing they can bet on, it’s that the way will not always be that clear, so they would do well to develop a thick skin and a solid trust in themselves, to help feel their way through as they navigate the obsticals.

Words Of Wisdom. 

“It’s important to take risks!  It’s important to fail!  It’s the only way to know who we really are and to find out what we really want!”

Travel and Reading and Writing, Oh My!

Study Abroad Profile: Alex Maitland-Ward
By: Taylor Rossi

All About the Awesome Alex

       Alex is a senior on the Women’s Lacrosse team here at Pace University.  She is a great teammate and an incredible player. Having the opportunity myself to play with her is an honor.  Along with being a great teammate, she is a great friend who is always sharing her positive energy. Alex is a senior, dual-major in Human Resource Management and International Business.

Her Journey Abroad

       When asked how she decided that it was her passion to travel abroad, Alex stated, “I’ve always had a love for travel and knew that I would want to study abroad before I graduate.  The program I chose was the Fall Semester Program in London at Regents University.  London is such a central location for traveling and also offers a diverse culture available.”  

       She chose to miss her Junior year fall lacrosse by going on this journey to London. Many of my teammates asked her if she regrets missing a huge chunk of our season and her answer is always no without a single doubt. Many of our teammates, including me, are extremely jealous of her and decision to travel. She told us that she found her passion easily.  She said, “I think like most people the way to do that is through experimenting and trying new things. For me I love traveling and there could be cheaper passions but I love traveling/ experiencing new cultures.”   

The Role of Writing

       Alex, who is a fiction lover, used writing as a large part of her experience.  She told me that she kept a journal that she wrote in various times during her travels.  She often wrote in it when she had an experience that impacted her. She wrote at these times to make sure that she fully remembers how she felt in that exact moment.  Alex stated, “I think this made me value everything I did as well as give me a creative outlet, other than my school studies.”

The Role of Reading

       Alex taught me how she was an avid reader all her life and took a book with her whenever she traveled.  Her mindset behind this is reading about various places in the world and then visiting them allows you to connect on a deeper level to the author and the story he/she is portraying.  London is the home of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and she was fortunate enough to get to watch a play at The Globe. She explained how it was amazing to see where the plays she read were originally portrayed.

The Gift of Alex’s Parents    

       Both of Alex’s parents are English and have both been to London before.  They both have an accent which I find to be very interesting. Talking to them at our games amazes me because they both talk with a strong accent and Alex doesn’t.  Alex said, “Although I do not think this was necessary, I do think it helped me not face a culture shock when I was there.” She also prepped for the various customs for the different cultures she visited so that she would wear appropriate attire/ where to go/stay.  She was surprised with how many relationships she made with people that she is still close with. She described how amazing was to be able to create such strong bonds with new people in such a short period of time.

Alex’s Advice

“Always push your comfort zone and try new things until you find out where you fit.  Build relationships with people whenever you get the chance. A professional and personal network will help you in your career enhancement but also fostering relationships.”

How to blog effectively

by Andrew Martinez, Mark Guartambel, Anna Giacalone, and Gryphon Williams

Introduction

Blogging can be a gateway to a community through the analysis of a specific topic. The topic can be anything, ranging from events in your community, discussion about something in pop culture, to talking about what inspires you.

A blog is best used by readers to observe the writer’s perspective on or experience with the chosen topic and spark interest or debate over the said topic. People who blog about something usually hold the topic very close to them, close enough to want to share your feelings about it with others.

The best part of blogs is that they can be both informational and be used to express one’s love for their chosen point of discussion. But how do you decide what you should blog about?

How to Find the Perfect Topic

 When attempting to blog for a wider audience you should consider looking for a broad topic that the general public can relate to but, you also want the topic to interest you. Most bloggers tend to gravitate towards their hobbies  or pastimes when considering what topic they should blog about. This usually results in new bloggers pigeonholing themselves in a topic that caters toward a specific audience. For example, writing a gaming blog will only cater to gamers, a fashion blog will only be relevant to people who pay attention to fashion trends, or obnoxious what-you-had-for-lunch-at-Chipotle blogs will cater to… literally no one.

How to find a target audience

 When trying to find a wide target audience make sure that there is a commonality within the community. Make sure it’s something that the expected community is excited about and have some sort of passion towards it.  People who have this sort of driven passion have more of a motivation to write. Once people find this driven motivation that will lead to other readers who have that same driven motivation to tune in to see “what’s next.”

Engagement

When you write a blog post, you should aim to write in a neutral tone. Your writing must be formal at all costs. Furthermore, it must be academic in nature. You must write it as though you are writing an essay; after all, you must write it as though it is one. Include as much flourish and circumlocution as you can, ensuring to be as sesquipedalian as your heart desires.

Do you see how hard that is to read? That excerpt is everything that a blog post shouldn’t be. When you are writing for a blog, you want to build rapport with your readers. Blogs are kind of like the Wild West of writing – when you write them, all of the conventional norms of writing seem to go out the window. Frankly, this is because a boring blog post doesn’t get you very far. While it sounds a bit harsh, remember for a second how you felt when reading the paragraph above. Could you imagine reading an entire blog site’s worth of that?

So, what can you do to ensure that your blog post is as engaging as it can be? Here are some tips to help make your blog post as engaging as possible:

1. Keep it casual.There’s a reason why blog writing is considered informal writing – you can get away without the stuffiness of formal writing when you want to make your blog interesting and engaging. Think of it like you’re having a conversation with your readers. You’ll want to keep it conversational and casual, writing your posts like you’re writing to a friend.
2. The shorter the better. Huge paragraphs and lengthy sentences are a perfect mix for disengaged readers. While you won’t want to sacrifice your content, keep your individual paragraphs and sentences relatively short for ease of reading. When it comes to a blog, less is more.
3. Be engaged yourself. If you’re not enjoying talking about your topic, your readers will be able to tell. If your heart just isn’t in it, trust me when I say your writing can come off as forced or disingenuous. If you find something you really love, your passion will show, and your readers will be able to pick up on this and engage with a post themselves.
4. Most importantly, have fun with it! Have a joke you want to crack? Don’t be afraid to make it. Want to poke fun at something? Go for it. Want to just be goofy and silly in your post? All the better! The point is the same – if you have fun with your writing, it’ll be so much easier to really get your readers engaged and invested in what you have to say.

 To Wrap It All Up

Start by picking a solid topic that both you and your readers care about. Then, ensure that you pick a target audience to reach out to. Finally, make sure you keep your readers engaged throughout your posts to keep them reading. While none of these are hard-and-fast rules, hopefully these can act as guidelines to help you craft your blog into something that you love to write and that your audiences love to read.

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.”

Success? This Way –>

Career Night featured three alumni and a Pace employee. Highlights from their panel talks will be shared in the future. For now, check out what they had to say at the end of the event when asked,

If you were to give one piece of advice to English majors today, what would it be?

Thanks to:

Amanda Cody, BA in English Literature, Pace University, 2009
Assistant Director of Communications for Portsmouth Abbey School

Beth Gordon, BA in Literature, Binghamton University
Associate Vice President for ITS, Pace University

Kathryn Bohan Hurd, BA in Literature and Communications, Pace University, 2001
Senior Instructional Designer at SUNY New Paltz’s Teaching & Learning Center

Gianna Sandri Antolos, BA in English and Writing, Pace University, 2009
Penguin Random House freelancer, marketing and web writing