Oldest Sister Instincts by Mariah

Oldest Sister Instincts by Mariah - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

They say that older sisters tend to be the bossiest. As the oldest of four I would do not view myself as particularly bossy, but I think helpful is a more fitting word. I always loved being the one to teach them new things. I remember teaching my youngest sister to ride a bike, as well as the time when I helped my sister go from asking for a “glanket” before bed, to requesting her favorite giraffe print blanket. From an early age, I have always known I wanted to go into a helping profession, I just was not sure which one.
I remember one time at the movie theatre, my dad was ordering my siblings and I a few drinks and popcorn to share. As he took over the money and ordering, I noticed a small sign sitting on the counter that read, “I am hearing impaired, please look at me when you speak.” As my family and I made our way into the theatre, I remember asking my dad to explain what that meant. He told me the sign meant that the guy taking our order could not hear, so he was reading people's lips to understand. This fascinated me and it led to my discovery of American Sign Language.
Ever since that day, it has been a top thing on my bucket list to learn American Sign Language. When it came time to choose a career, I considered all my goals in life. I discovered that speech language pathology would not only allow me to continue my passion of helping and teaching others, but it would also allow me the opportunity to learn and use American Sign Language in my career.
Choosing a career is just a small step in understanding what your future will look like. I knew that I did not want to choose a career unless I knew I was going to be happy doing it for the rest of my life. I discovered this career path as a first-year student in high school. I immediately began taking a deeper dive into what opportunities are within this profession. I started out by taking advantage of what my school had to offer.
The first thing I did in high school was participate in my school's peer tutoring program. I was able to build a relationship with the students of special needs, as well as observe what their education looked like. Luckily for me, I was able to observe an actual speech language pathologist once a week, who gives lessons to the students in my school. I was so interested in what she did and was glad to see how happy the students were to spend time with her.
For the past two years I have been cadet teaching at my district's preschool for children ages three to five. Lots of development happens during these first few years of life. Speech is a major thing that is monitored by the teachers in my community. I have been able to learn from these teachers and help students improve in many ways. This has been one of my favorite experiences though out my four years of high school.
Because of my experiences as a child and life goals, I have found this career path. I have put myself in situations and given myself opportunities to experiment and see if this is something I will love. I am sure that speech language pathology will bring me nothing short of joy and it is something I am looking forward to in my education and the rest of my life.