Update :)– I look forward to my senior year in the CSDS program and continuing to become more involved and experience what of the rest of my time here has to offer. Cheers to Class of 2022, we got this!
Hello there! My name is Ellen Grace (I go by Grace) and I am a member of the Cormier Honors College. Currently, I am a senior (what?! I still can’t believe it!) in the Communications Sciences and Disorders (CSDS) program here at Longwood. I am also involved with the Alpha Lambda Delta (National Honor Society for First-Year Students) as well as getting more involved within the CSDS program through joining Longwood’s NSSHLA (The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association). I plan to become more involved as I progress throughout my time in college! I am SUPER excited to see what the future holds as I take on a new journey at Longwood-my second home.
Since I was a young girl, my heart was set on working in the medical field. As a 6 year old, I would sneak episodes of birth stories on TLC and claimed I would be a “baby doctor” (I wanted to deliver babies). However, as I aged, my dream shifted to want to work with children with the possibility of following in my mother’s steps to become a teacher. Well, that was only temporary because on a missions trip to Nicaragua in 2014, I witnessed the beautiful teamwork and dedication of the nurses who lacked the best resources provide the very best care they could to their patients during a hospital visit. After that, I began to really think about my future and what I truly wanted to do– be a pediatric nurse. My most memorable experience was shadowing a pediatric nurse as a high school senior and cementing my decision to pursue the field of nursing.
However, December 2019, I decided that nursing was not what I wanted to do anymore and needed a change. I still wanted to work with children in the medical field, but in a different capacity. I made the switch from Nursing to Communications Sciences and Disorders to pursue a BS in CSDS and going back for my MS in speech pathology. I could not be any happier! I am still able to work in pediatrics, but in a different way. It was hard for me to change, but being welcomed into a new program with open arms and professors that wanted to help guide me through the process made the transition so much smoother.
I have never felt more at home at Longwood and I am excited for this new course of direction I chose. The CSDS students have been welcoming, and it has been fun meeting new like-minded individuals who have similar passions as myself. I am so excited to continue my journey here at Longwood!