Speech Pathologist

What do you like the most about your job?

I work with the pediatric population at a private clinic. I chose to work with kids because they help me take life day-by-day and remind me to stay in the moment. Also, with kids, you have to adapt and make therapy fun, so I usually have fun in the process. I think building relationships with the kids is my favorite job. I get to be a part of their lives and a part of a team (with their parents). Counseling is also a huge part of therapy and I didn’t know that at first. I really enjoy that now.

What's your normal day like?

Each day is different, especially now with the pandemic. Generally, I have a mix of virtual therapy sessions and in-person sessions. My schedule can be scattered or back-to-back; it really depends. On a really busy day, I’ll have back-to-back kids, some are 30 minute sessions, some are 45 minutes, and some are one-hour long sessions. I have a mix of children with Autism who need help with expressive and receptive language, kids with expressive language delay, a lot of articulation delay cases, some pragmatic therapy. We also hold social camps when it is appropriate during this pandemic. Kids (especially those who struggle with social interactions) really enjoy those. I get to lead those, conduct language and social therapy in groups, and really just guide social interactions for the kids.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration is probably women who are working in my field. It is really empowering to be in a field where women are not only presidents of their departments, owners of their own clinics, etc., but also see that they are extremely passionate about speech therapy and how hardworking they are. Right now, my supervisor / owner of the private practice that I work at is my inspiration because she works so hard and really enjoys being with her patients. I think her passion drives her hard work, and that’s what I aspire to. I want to be really passionate about my work because then it won’t really be “work work” - it will be something I love. I’m just trying to build experience right now and it is not hard to be passionate about being with kids! They are the best!

How was your path becoming a speech pathologist?

I was pretty lucky in that I went to undergrad and graduate school at the same place and that my faculty was intimate and small. All the faculty knew me by name and connected me with other important people. I was connected to my private clinic, where I work now, because I was placed there for clinic experience and I’m grateful that I built a relationship with this place from my school.

I also made it a point throughout my career to be really involved in more than just my classes and clinic. Throughout my undergraduate and graduate career, I pursued opportunities for conferences, presentations, research and internships. I was able to attend an internship in New York City at one of their great hospitals there, and one at Indiana University. I really grabbed at any opportunity and connection I could get and I think that really made the difference. The biggest difference was shadowing / interning at places that I could see myself work and also my clinical experiences. Those made the biggest impact on me because I could see firsthand what my life would look like.

Did you face any struggles being a Muslim woman in this field?

In certain environments, I definitely stand out as a Muslim woman since the field is white-dominated and I wear the hijab (turban-style). It was hard at first because, even though I am used to being the minority in the room, I had a lot of Arab patients and often felt that their culture wasn’t being understood by other clinicians because of the cultural barrier. It really broke my heart, honestly, to see that. It motivated me more, though, to help serve those patients and have important conversations with other clinicians about how to better serve our clients coming from different backgrounds. That was the biggest struggle.

Personally, though, I have been treated very well by everyone that I have met. I have incredible mentors in this field that have supported me and before the pandemic, I would meet so many professors and professionals that wanted me involved. I think being a minority in the field has motivated me more to help patients that are coming from diverse backgrounds, since there is a great need.

What’s your favorite thing about being Muslim?

My favorite thing about being Muslim is that I never feel alone. At first, I used to be terrified of my solitude because I felt so alone in some instances, especially during graduate school when things were getting stressful or during other personal events in my life. However, over time, I learned that I’m really never alone and that I have God with me. That is such a relief to me, to have something greater than me to depend on. I also struggle with anxiousness, so having God to depend on for all my worries and leaving things up to him has really helped relieve that anxiousness. There are two ways to look at “not having control” : I could freak out, or I can realize what a blessing it is to not have to be in control, and that everything will get solved the way it needs to get solved, through God’s will.

If somebody wants to be a speech pathologist when they grow up, what should they do?

First, I would shadow any speech pathologists that you can connect with. Seeing speech pathologists in action, and in different environments (i.e., hospital, school, private clinic) can really help give you an insight to what your life can look like. You also learn a lot more hands on, so I would recommend shadowing if possible or volunteering in your desired location (especially if you’d like to work at a hospital). Since we work with all kinds of professionals (i.e., OT, PT, doctors, social workers, etc.), it’s good to put yourself in that environment because you will get to see smaller details of a speech pathologist’s life that you would not know just by looking at a job description.

If you’re in undergrad, I would suggest getting involved in research or making connections with your professors so that you can attend conferences. Conferences helped boost my self-esteem in terms of presenting work, building a network, and seeing how vast our field is. You can add these experiences to your resume, which sets you apart from other therapists, but also gives you insights that you can talk about when you apply for jobs. It’s all about experience, too; you never know what you’ll run into. I have a friend who realized she didn’t want to be a clinician and instead go straight into a PhD program, and that was so fitting for her. She met her mentor at a conference, by chance.

If you can give any advice to young Muslim girls/teens, what would you tell them?

I would say, listen really closely to the women in your life who care about you (i.e., mom, aunt, sisters), also your dad. But I think women tend to see things differently and can give you the best advice unique to you. Surround yourself with powerful women who are working hard and focusing on improving themselves. When you have those relationships, not only will you be reminded to be a good Muslim, but also be yourself and that you are loved just the way you are. Those kinds of relationships are really important right now in a world that just leads to self-doubt. Also, expose yourself to positive things: people, podcasts, books, shows, etc. What you absorb is what you release, and also what you attract. Attract positivity, over everything.