Sponsoring International Internships

Chris Gandy (Class of 1961)…

As a retired speech-language pathologist, Chris has volunteered in South Africa, Nepal, China, Tanzania, and Panama. Throughout her travels, Chris kept thinking of ways to encourage students in speech language pathology to work in countries experiencing high levels of poverty.

Her answer was to donate funds for students in speech-language pathology to complete their final internships internationally. That donation is now making a difference to the lives of four students in speech-language pathology annually, and to countless individuals with communication and swallowing disorders globally.

Here’s what students say about the impact of her generosity on their formation as speech-language pathologists:

After completing a placement in rural Kenya, I feel that I have an improved awareness of the role of a speech-language pathologist in an underserviced area. This placement really pushed me “out of the next” in terms of becoming independent and confident in my clinical skills. Hilary Cochrane (MHSc Class of 2011)

I recently used the example of a school in Kenya with a high level of stuttering during a job interview to illustrate a time when I was challenged and how I overcame that. My experience in Kenyasharpened my clinical skills and caused me to be more flexible than I had ever anticipated. Katie Vikken (MHSc, Class of 2011)

In terms of the caseload, I was able to get my feet wet in every area while I was in Kenya; voice, aphasia, apraxia, TBI, specific language impairment, stuttering, autism, dysphagia, articulation, cleft palate, laryngectomees & more. I can honestly say that I have a solid baseline for any patient that could walk through my door. My experience overseas increased my confidence in who I am as a professional and why I chose this line of work. Lindi van Strien (MHSc, Class of 2010)