On Wednesday, Nov. 12, two speech therapists visited BPHS to talk to aspiring speech therapists. Mrs. Swogger works at Memorial Elementary, and Mrs. Surrena works here at the high school. They talked about many topics including college information, career opportunities, and services provided.

Speech Pathologists must earn both an undergraduate and master’s degree. They have to be certified through the American Speech Hearing Association. If they want to work in a Pennsylvania school, they must take the Praxis exams.

There are many ages speech therapists can work with including children, school aged students, adults, and  the elderly. They can work in schools, hospitals, home care places, and private clinics.

Speech Therapists have a wide range of services that they provide. They work with people who have voice disorders, stuttering, articulation or phonological deficits, and other speech disorders. They can also work on people’s social, cognitive, and reading skills. Speech therapists also help those with hearing loss, or with their feeding, swallowing, and oral motor skills.

Students who are interested in becoming a speech therapist have numerous schools to pick from when it is time to pick a college. There are many options throughout the country, many of those being right here in Pennsylvania. Just some in the Pittsburgh area include Duquesne University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Pittsburgh.

Mrs. Surrena attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania and Mrs. Swogger attended Thiel College for her undergraduate degree and the University of Pittsburgh for her master’s degree.

The starting salary for a speech therapist varies depending on where they work. The range is $45,000-$50,000.

Speech therapy is a growing field that many students want to go into. There are many career options for speech therapists. If one is interested in becoming a speech therapist, they should job shadow different speech pathologists to see if that is what they want to do for the rest of their lives.