Humans of Speech is back and I’m excited to introduce my first guest studying Audiology! Daneille Lafleur is currently in the Audiology program at the University of British Columbia. I got a chance to meet Danielle in-person and she is a lovely human being. For another UBC student in the SLP program, check out Katrina’s post. I’m so excited to share Danielle’s answers:

 

 

 

1. What experiences did you have as an undergraduate? (ex. clubs, extracurriculars)

I didn’t have much in terms of extracurriculars, but I spent a lot of time working in the field. I had the opportunity to work in multiple private practice audiology clinics in Winnipeg and I was able to do important work with the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program. I also started the Pre SLP-AuD student group at the University of Manitoba, geared towards undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in Speech Language Pathology or Audiology. As soon as I decided on a career in audiology, all of my extracurriculars were focused on that goal.

 

2. Any study tips/resources that has helped you with your classes? 

I was lucky enough to have a very small Linguistics department at the University of Manitoba. This tiny faculty allowed me to only have three professors for all of my linguistics major classes, facilitating a great relationship with my professors. I think that this personal relationship with professors gave them a different insight while writing my reference letters, which worked to my advantage. Other than that, I think going to every lecture and participating with insightful questions really helped make me more than a number or a face to my professors. It’s easy to get lost in a sea of big undergraduate classes. Making yourself more than just a number early on will help you in the long run.

 

3. Why did you choose UBC?

Audiology is a very competitive program, there are 3 schools in the country with about 50 spots combined. UBC was my top choice of school before applying to both UBC and University of Western Ontario, and I was lucky enough to get into my top choice school. I like UBC’s program for the incredibly small class size, there are only 12 of us! The small class size makes us work together closely as a unit and work together to complete assignments and navigate the crazy and new world of graduate school.

 

4. Has anything about the program surprised you? 

One thing that has really surprised me was how welcoming, friendly, and accommodating all of the staff and faculty are! I had to do a lot of the preliminary communication with staff over the phone and via email, and every time it could not have gone smoother! All of the faculty and staff really care and want to see you succeed.

 

5. When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you like to do?

When I feel overwhelmed or unfocused I try to fall back into healthy habits. I will take an evening off and food prep a bunch of healthy and delicious meals for the week, or I will try to take a walk somewhere beautiful. Since I moved to Vancouver, I go to the docks at Jericho beach and walk around with a warm beverage. I know it is a little cliché but taking a break and allowing time for yourself is the best way to snap you back into focus.

 

6. What advice would you give to students that want to apply to an AUDI program? What’s bad advice that they should ignore?

I have three important pieces of advice that I think got me into UBC. Firstly, keep your eyes open for any opportunity to get your foot in the door and do that as early as you can! My 4 years of work during my undergraduate degree in both the public and private sector was invaluable to my (hopefully) future success at UBC. I was able to work my connections back home and lean on my volunteer experience to propel myself forward towards bigger opportunities that I knew would get me into graduate school.

Secondly, lean on people around you. UBC has a vibrant community of undergraduate students all working toward a common goal, which can lead to a potentially competitive culture. As scary as it may sound, your peers are your best resource, they are as nervous and excited as you are. Working together and helping each other instead of fostering a culture of competition will help everyone in the long run. You will all get in eventually.

Lastly, it is okay to ask people for help. This is a lesson that I wished I learned earlier in my student career. During my application process, I asked for help at every chance I got. This included a ton of questions about the application process, proofreading my statement of intent, and general supportive help from friends and family.

Bad advice will come at you from every which way. One particularly unhelpful professional used a lot of scare tactics while speaking to a group of students, emphasizing the amount of stress that they will be under and how hard it is once school actually starts. This professional wasn’t necessarily wrong, but she failed to mention the amazing community of peers, faculty, and staff that you will have as resources to help you through this nerve-wracking time. I think that the culture of mutual suffering and support is a much more important and honest reflection of the program and its members.

 

7. How do you reach for the speech?

When I think of the phrase ‘reach for the speech’, my mind automatically goes to hearing aid fittings. In my future practice, I hope to work in the public sector, ideally fitting hearing aids or cochlear implants on young children. Being in the audiology field for 4 years, I have seen a fair share of hearing aid fittings. It is not always like the videos you see on Facebook. When the hearing aid turns on, it isn’t always smiles and laughs and rainbows. Often, the child is overwhelmed with the sensory overload and there is a whole lot of crying. Even during this intense emotional phase, it is amazing to think of the life changing difference you are making to the patient and their family. So, for me, ‘reaching for speech’ is the moment when a hearing aid is turned on for the first time and knowing that your patient has the opportunity to hear, even if they are a crying puddle on the floor of your office.