Uniquely prepared
Appreciating my multifaceted Ouachita education
January 22, 2019
- Haley Jo WessonMy precious Ouachita—I wish I could put into words how special my four years at Ouachita
truly were. It was an exciting time of learning and growing my relationship with the
Lord. As I have exited “the bubble” and entered graduate school, I cannot help but
be so thankful for all the ways that Ouachita prepared me.
I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in speech-language pathology and will graduate
in May of 2020. Although there are many ways that Ouachita prepared me for graduate
school, I will focus on three different types of opportunities that, after attending
Ouachita, I don’t think can be found anywhere else!
The first way that I feel Ouachita prepared me was the opportunities the communication
sciences & disorders department offers its students. Ouachita’s CMDS program is top
notch! Throughout my time at Ouachita, I gained over 140 hours of hands-on practicum
working with clients ranging from ages 4 to 64. That is unheard of in the grad school
world! More importantly, I was mentored and shaped into the student clinician I am
today thanks to Dr. Nancy Hardman and Mrs. Carol Morgan. This program allowed me to
gain experience that made the transition to graduate school easy.
The second way that Ouachita uniquely prepared me was the opportunity to serve in
student organizations. Ouachita was the place where I was stretched to become a leader,
to find new ways to serve and to glorify the Lord in everything. I found that Ouachita
offered many amazing, diverse options to lead and serve in a variety of clubs and
organizations, and I later found myself serving as president of the Ouachita Student
Foundation (OSF) my senior year. Through my experiences in OSF, the EEE women’s social
club, the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and the Big Brother/Big
Sister program, I now know what a life of serving looks like, and I get to carry that
out in my graduate program today.
The third way that Ouachita prepared me for graduate school is through the opportunity
of knowing what true community is. My four years at Ouachita mean so much to me because
of my education and my organizations, but one more thing I will forever cherish is
the people! I experienced true community for the first time while at Ouachita. I gained
friendships and mentors that I will cherish for the rest of my days. Through seeing
what true community looks like, I have had the opportunity to seek that out outside
of Ouachita. For graduate school, I moved to a different state where I didn’t know
a single soul, and six months later I can proclaim the faithfulness of Jesus giving
me a sweet community here.
I could go on and on for days about all the ways that Ouachita prepared me! I am forever
grateful for the best four years of my life.
By Haley Jo Wesson, a 2018 communication sciences and disorders graduate from Hot Springs, Ark.
You Also Might Like
Recent
