1 00:00:00,780 --> 00:00:03,650 Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations. 2 00:00:03,740 --> 00:00:05,510 I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll. 3 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:10,619 In this episode, you'll hear part one of my conversation with Sharron Huang, recent 4 00:00:10,620 --> 00:00:15,740 graduate of Stony Brook University, where she received a B. A. in Linguistics, an 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:19,589 M. A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and an M. S. 6 00:00:19,589 --> 00:00:21,400 in Speech Language Pathology. 7 00:00:22,070 --> 00:00:26,420 More links and information about today's conversation can be found on Digication's 8 00:00:26,950 --> 00:00:29,059 Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 9 00:00:29,060 --> 00:00:33,080 Full episodes of Digication Scholars Conversations can be found on 10 00:00:33,090 --> 00:00:35,779 YouTube or your favorite podcast app. 11 00:00:37,660 --> 00:00:40,640 Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations. 12 00:00:40,650 --> 00:00:45,090 I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll, and today I'm so excited to introduce 13 00:00:45,090 --> 00:00:51,159 Sharron Huang, who graduated from Stony Brook University in May 2024. 14 00:00:51,169 --> 00:00:52,329 Welcome, Sharron. 15 00:00:52,715 --> 00:00:54,325 Thank you so much for having me. 16 00:00:54,335 --> 00:00:55,145 Thank you. 17 00:00:55,245 --> 00:00:56,845 Absolutely. 18 00:00:56,855 --> 00:00:57,265 Yes. 19 00:00:57,285 --> 00:01:04,475 So, we, uh, happened to stumble upon Sharron's extraordinary work and 20 00:01:04,485 --> 00:01:11,044 experiences in Digication, and I just had to reach out to have her join me 21 00:01:11,045 --> 00:01:16,995 on Digication Scholars Conversations because what she has created really 22 00:01:16,995 --> 00:01:19,695 exemplifies a Digication Scholar. 23 00:01:20,095 --> 00:01:27,545 Um, she has created this incredible representation of who she is, uh, the 24 00:01:27,545 --> 00:01:33,435 story behind her background, uh, all of the work that she's done at Stony Brook 25 00:01:33,435 --> 00:01:38,585 University, and as a recent graduate, also has things to share about life beyond 26 00:01:38,585 --> 00:01:42,624 Stony Brook too, that I'm sure she'll have a chance to share with us today. 27 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,980 Um, so Sharron, I really just wanted to kind of kick off our conversation 28 00:01:46,980 --> 00:01:51,450 today with you talking a little bit about, you know, how this interest 29 00:01:51,460 --> 00:01:59,159 in studying linguistics and speech pathology came about for you, um, because 30 00:01:59,159 --> 00:02:04,100 I know in looking at your background, you have a few different degrees. 31 00:02:04,395 --> 00:02:08,965 And we'd love to hear a little bit about your, your journey and what has led you 32 00:02:08,965 --> 00:02:11,455 to become a speech language pathologist. 33 00:02:12,215 --> 00:02:13,355 Yeah, absolutely. 34 00:02:13,575 --> 00:02:15,074 So thank you so much for having me. 35 00:02:15,095 --> 00:02:18,564 Just a little bit of background on me, like, I, I know, like, I'm from 36 00:02:18,755 --> 00:02:22,954 Brooklyn, New York, born and raised, so I've always been surrounded by such a 37 00:02:22,955 --> 00:02:26,415 rich community of culture and language that comes hand in hand with it. 38 00:02:26,765 --> 00:02:30,885 Um, growing up, like, I know, like, I come from parents of immigrants and, 39 00:02:30,885 --> 00:02:35,150 like, I've a different mother tongue than a lot of the other students in my 40 00:02:35,150 --> 00:02:39,460 community and being able to really be able to share that and see that within my own 41 00:02:39,460 --> 00:02:43,470 students too, that's been super empowering for me to be on the flip side of it 42 00:02:43,750 --> 00:02:45,510 and being able to teach these students. 43 00:02:45,950 --> 00:02:50,050 So I, I started off, I actually, when I first entered college at Stony 44 00:02:50,050 --> 00:02:52,880 Brook University, I was a bio major. 45 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:55,850 I was so headset on being pre med. 46 00:02:55,850 --> 00:02:56,270 Yeah. 47 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,850 Like a lot of many other students at Stony Brook. 48 00:02:59,020 --> 00:03:04,419 Um, I was a Biology major and I remember taking, um, the prerequisite like freshman 49 00:03:04,460 --> 00:03:06,850 courses and I wasn't doing too hard. 50 00:03:06,870 --> 00:03:11,920 And like, I, I remember really struggling, but also like struggling 51 00:03:11,950 --> 00:03:15,700 adapting to college as a whole, being away from my family. 52 00:03:16,110 --> 00:03:22,100 Um, but I remember like really enjoying linguistics and making my, my 53 00:03:22,100 --> 00:03:24,720 switch to that full time as my major. 54 00:03:24,820 --> 00:03:29,559 I continued with that and I know like for me, I'm a very like type A person, 55 00:03:29,559 --> 00:03:33,369 like I wanted to make sure that I would still be able to graduate within four 56 00:03:33,369 --> 00:03:35,610 years, even though I had changed my major. 57 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:40,305 So that just, even though like after I changed, I changed my major, I I 58 00:03:40,505 --> 00:03:45,645 put it into like full drive, like trying to catch up on these classes 59 00:03:45,645 --> 00:03:49,274 and like still trying to make sure that I graduated in four years. 60 00:03:49,304 --> 00:03:53,225 And I guess it worked well because I actually ended up graduating 61 00:03:53,255 --> 00:03:57,215 early and getting accepted into an accelerated master's program 62 00:03:57,215 --> 00:04:00,605 for five years, which I ended up completing in four and a half years. 63 00:04:00,605 --> 00:04:04,365 And that was the master's for teaching English to speakers of other languages, 64 00:04:04,375 --> 00:04:09,315 which was a really nice segue actually from my, my bachelor's in linguistics. 65 00:04:09,315 --> 00:04:09,375 Thanks. 66 00:04:10,210 --> 00:04:10,830 Nice. 67 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:12,560 Well, congratulations. 68 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:19,410 I'm sure the accelerated program involved a lot of long hours and, 69 00:04:19,450 --> 00:04:26,120 and hard work and to get that done and an even shorter period of time. 70 00:04:26,150 --> 00:04:29,030 Um, so my, my hat is off to you. 71 00:04:29,100 --> 00:04:33,319 Thank you a lot of Tetris playing with the different classes and schedule. 72 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:37,419 Like I remember even as a freshman, I had like a five year plan. 73 00:04:37,419 --> 00:04:38,680 Like, what do I have to take? 74 00:04:38,850 --> 00:04:43,310 Not only like this semester, like this spring semester, but like, how can I 75 00:04:43,310 --> 00:04:48,100 plan it out so that I can know what I'm going to be taking as a senior, as 76 00:04:48,110 --> 00:04:51,310 like, Even though I'm like a sophomore, yeah, like I know what I'm going to be 77 00:04:51,310 --> 00:04:54,780 taking senior year, like down to a T in order for all the puzzle pieces to fit 78 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:59,189 in, in order for me to, to take all the required classes and the prerequisites 79 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:00,839 for each of those classes to stack up. 80 00:05:01,270 --> 00:05:05,649 So I remember like being definitely like having a lot of stress that 81 00:05:05,650 --> 00:05:09,590 came with it, but now like the fruits of the labor paying off. 82 00:05:09,609 --> 00:05:11,419 So I'm very thankful for that. 83 00:05:11,829 --> 00:05:12,209 Good. 84 00:05:12,219 --> 00:05:13,459 Glad to hear that. 85 00:05:13,469 --> 00:05:19,629 So, first you, you set off to get your, uh, B. A. in linguistics, and 86 00:05:19,629 --> 00:05:25,189 then did you already know when you started that, that you wanted to, at 87 00:05:25,189 --> 00:05:27,909 some point, go into teaching as well? 88 00:05:28,174 --> 00:05:31,674 Yeah, so that was definitely in the back of my mind, especially during, 89 00:05:32,004 --> 00:05:37,354 uh, my pivot over into linguistics from being a biology major. 90 00:05:37,864 --> 00:05:40,994 Uh, so my, my mom, she's a huge role model of mine. 91 00:05:40,994 --> 00:05:45,205 Like, she is like the person I look up to and she's actually an ENL teacher. 92 00:05:45,234 --> 00:05:46,374 So she is a teacher. 93 00:05:46,384 --> 00:05:49,394 Like I come on, I'm come from a huge family of teachers. 94 00:05:49,394 --> 00:05:51,084 I think there are like four or five of us. 95 00:05:51,094 --> 00:05:51,429 And then, yeah, yeah. 96 00:05:51,669 --> 00:05:54,919 When you open it up to like family friends, it's like all my mom's friends 97 00:05:54,919 --> 00:05:56,269 and everyone I've grown up with. 98 00:05:56,759 --> 00:06:01,309 So being able to grow up in that school community has really shown me 99 00:06:01,309 --> 00:06:05,869 nothing but like the positive sides of education and how powerful it can be 100 00:06:05,869 --> 00:06:07,629 and how it really builds a community. 101 00:06:08,389 --> 00:06:13,919 So having that, yeah, was really definitely an example and model and how, 102 00:06:13,929 --> 00:06:16,809 how I guess it sparked the flame early on. 103 00:06:17,309 --> 00:06:21,644 But yeah, she, she's an ENL teacher, so she We share the 104 00:06:21,644 --> 00:06:23,624 same master's degree title. 105 00:06:23,634 --> 00:06:27,744 Like I have my ENL, like TESOL degree for my master's. 106 00:06:28,024 --> 00:06:29,624 Um, and she does as well. 107 00:06:30,444 --> 00:06:34,184 So it was definitely like nice, like having someone to go to immediately, 108 00:06:34,184 --> 00:06:38,784 like to ask for help and like, I, I can see like how much she loves her job. 109 00:06:38,784 --> 00:06:39,474 Like she. 110 00:06:39,804 --> 00:06:42,704 She genuinely has such passion for what she does. 111 00:06:42,714 --> 00:06:45,464 Like this has been her day one for everything. 112 00:06:45,484 --> 00:06:48,474 So it's been nice to like kind of follow my mom's shoes a little bit. 113 00:06:48,474 --> 00:06:52,064 And I'm actually like where she works is very close to home. 114 00:06:52,064 --> 00:06:56,524 So I, I went to that school as an elementary school student. 115 00:06:56,524 --> 00:07:00,771 So being able to like visit all the time and then now where I work, actually, 116 00:07:00,771 --> 00:07:04,184 I work only 15 minutes a walk away. 117 00:07:04,204 --> 00:07:09,314 So like, it's, it's actually been very funny because we. 118 00:07:09,754 --> 00:07:14,574 Uh, up until recently, we actually shared a set of, uh, siblings, so she had one 119 00:07:14,574 --> 00:07:17,994 brother and I had another brother in my school, so it's just like, wow, like, 120 00:07:18,014 --> 00:07:22,354 we're that close and like, we share the, the school community that we are actually 121 00:07:22,354 --> 00:07:23,954 like sharing a pair of siblings right now. 122 00:07:24,904 --> 00:07:29,644 Oh my gosh, I can just imagine as a mom, she must just be glowing with so 123 00:07:29,644 --> 00:07:35,404 much pride at what you're doing and to have that connection professionally 124 00:07:35,444 --> 00:07:38,034 now too, that's so wonderful. 125 00:07:38,214 --> 00:07:38,724 I love that. 126 00:07:38,724 --> 00:07:41,364 It's endless, shared conversations to talk about too. 127 00:07:41,364 --> 00:07:44,004 So, if you ever thought about like, Alright, like, when is the, 128 00:07:44,004 --> 00:07:45,144 how's like the salary schedule? 129 00:07:45,144 --> 00:07:47,504 How do I enroll in my retirement benefits? 130 00:07:47,504 --> 00:07:49,674 How do I, like, All those little things! 131 00:07:50,814 --> 00:07:54,514 Like, oh, like, have you, have you seen the changes to curriculum? 132 00:07:54,514 --> 00:07:56,434 Like, little things like that. 133 00:07:56,434 --> 00:08:00,814 It's definitely, like, very nice to have that person so close to home 134 00:08:00,834 --> 00:08:02,364 and be able to talk to her about it. 135 00:08:02,969 --> 00:08:04,069 Yeah, I bet. 136 00:08:04,079 --> 00:08:10,859 And can you share a little bit about maybe what some of those first days when 137 00:08:11,019 --> 00:08:16,909 you started teaching were like and maybe reflect a little bit on that experience? 138 00:08:16,909 --> 00:08:21,909 And I don't know if you remember any questions or thoughts that came up that 139 00:08:21,939 --> 00:08:29,229 you needed to immediately kind of go to your mom to because of her experience. 140 00:08:29,269 --> 00:08:34,084 Um, cause you mentioned that you were doing some, uh, Teaching in that 141 00:08:34,094 --> 00:08:38,824 little gap between one degree and the next so I'd love to hear a little bit 142 00:08:38,824 --> 00:08:40,634 about that Oh, I'm happy to share. 143 00:08:40,634 --> 00:08:44,204 That's so funny because I'm glad I mentioned that my mom like where she 144 00:08:44,204 --> 00:08:50,204 works So after I'd graduated early from like the five year program 145 00:08:50,424 --> 00:08:54,014 I it was mid year since I did in three and a half of four and a half. 146 00:08:54,444 --> 00:08:59,069 So I couldn't start a master's program mid year. 147 00:08:59,499 --> 00:09:02,249 And so I was like, all right, like, how, how do I want to play this? 148 00:09:02,259 --> 00:09:03,499 Do I want to stay on campus? 149 00:09:03,499 --> 00:09:03,929 And just like. 150 00:09:04,859 --> 00:09:08,489 Continue living on campus and not attend classes or do I move back home? 151 00:09:09,129 --> 00:09:14,199 So what I ended up doing is I moved back home and I took a maternity leave 152 00:09:14,199 --> 00:09:16,599 substitute position at my mom's school. 153 00:09:17,439 --> 00:09:22,339 So one of her, one of her, yeah, not even right down the hall. 154 00:09:22,349 --> 00:09:23,469 We shared a classroom. 155 00:09:23,469 --> 00:09:26,409 She served, she was the ENL teacher for my class there. 156 00:09:26,799 --> 00:09:31,179 So a family friend, this is how close knit her school community is, where 157 00:09:31,179 --> 00:09:33,009 like everyone has seen me grow up. 158 00:09:33,009 --> 00:09:37,569 Like the fact that like the, her coworkers have all seen me like while 159 00:09:37,569 --> 00:09:40,839 I was an elementary school student there, like on their own student. 160 00:09:41,019 --> 00:09:44,949 And now to see like me as a teacher and like be full circle. 161 00:09:45,759 --> 00:09:48,919 But yeah, like I, I was a substitute teacher. 162 00:09:48,949 --> 00:09:51,229 Oh, maternity substitute substitute teacher. 163 00:09:51,229 --> 00:09:53,389 So I was there for six year, uh, six months. 164 00:09:53,599 --> 00:09:55,699 I was there for six months and. 165 00:09:56,029 --> 00:09:59,099 I was able to take over a second grade class. 166 00:09:59,409 --> 00:10:01,939 Um, they were absolutely amazing. 167 00:10:01,949 --> 00:10:04,979 They were genuinely such a great class to start off with. 168 00:10:05,179 --> 00:10:08,369 And like, not to say that there weren't any hiccups or anything, but I think 169 00:10:08,369 --> 00:10:12,109 that was such a great learning class because the classroom teacher had 170 00:10:12,109 --> 00:10:16,569 already set up so many great expectations and model behavior where I was. 171 00:10:16,889 --> 00:10:20,319 Basically handed like a golden plate where everything was set for me. 172 00:10:20,779 --> 00:10:26,559 Um, but yeah, from there, like my, it was my mom who was really pushing 173 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,889 it and serving these kids cause she was the ENL provider there. 174 00:10:30,309 --> 00:10:34,229 Um, and so there were, there would be a period a day or a couple of periods 175 00:10:34,229 --> 00:10:39,044 a week where, We would be co-teaching together in the same classroom. 176 00:10:39,464 --> 00:10:41,174 Like, that's just so crazy to think about it. 177 00:10:41,174 --> 00:10:47,054 But I remember like, how, how do I lesson plan for all these kids? 178 00:10:47,214 --> 00:10:53,664 Cause I, I had my, my ENL degree where I was used to serving smaller groups for 179 00:10:54,064 --> 00:10:57,904 my, my student teaching or my externship placements, where it would be just 180 00:10:57,904 --> 00:11:03,684 strictly ENL, like I'm differentiating material and instruction for preexisting 181 00:11:03,684 --> 00:11:05,734 curriculum or preexisting lesson. 182 00:11:06,144 --> 00:11:08,534 That's been constructed by the classroom teacher. 183 00:11:09,174 --> 00:11:13,555 But here I was kind of flip flops and I was a classroom teacher and I 184 00:11:13,564 --> 00:11:16,364 hadn't had, um, as much experience. 185 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:19,230 Where I was like creating my own lesson plans. 186 00:11:19,230 --> 00:11:20,290 I was making slides. 187 00:11:20,310 --> 00:11:22,500 I was learning a completely new curriculum. 188 00:11:22,850 --> 00:11:27,180 And I remember really asking her like, well, how, like, how do I navigate 189 00:11:27,700 --> 00:11:28,749 all these different curriculums? 190 00:11:28,749 --> 00:11:30,410 There's a different curriculum for math. 191 00:11:30,459 --> 00:11:32,180 There's a different curriculum for reading. 192 00:11:32,180 --> 00:11:34,840 There's a different curriculum for science and social studies. 193 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:36,540 Like, how do I stay on top of everything? 194 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:41,150 Um, while also like having a balance, because like at the end of the day, 195 00:11:41,150 --> 00:11:43,804 like I, I was a substitute teacher, you know, like I was, you know, 196 00:11:44,465 --> 00:11:46,705 How do I find the time to do this? 197 00:11:46,705 --> 00:11:49,565 While also at that time applying for graduate school. 198 00:11:50,635 --> 00:11:54,005 Um, so that was definitely like, all right, like let's, 199 00:11:54,095 --> 00:11:56,685 you bring your work laptop home, I'll bring my work laptop home. 200 00:11:56,685 --> 00:12:00,215 Like, I'll show you how to navigate around like different websites, which I 201 00:12:00,215 --> 00:12:04,802 thought was pretty funny because usually I'm the one who's going for how to use 202 00:12:04,802 --> 00:12:08,635 technology and all of a sudden she's schooling me and like, all right, like 203 00:12:08,645 --> 00:12:10,875 choose this tab, go here to this link. 204 00:12:11,165 --> 00:12:11,874 She's like flying through. 205 00:12:11,874 --> 00:12:12,845 I'm like, slow down. 206 00:12:13,410 --> 00:12:16,000 So it was definitely interesting to be on the other side. 207 00:12:17,370 --> 00:12:18,890 Oh, I love that. 208 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:26,760 Oh, so you mentioned you grew up not too far away from Stony Brook University, but 209 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:31,440 how did you make your decision that that that was going to be the school to attend? 210 00:12:31,539 --> 00:12:35,859 And it must have been a good choice for you to stay for all of those degrees. 211 00:12:37,175 --> 00:12:38,675 I couldn't get enough of it, honestly. 212 00:12:39,805 --> 00:12:41,685 I really, I truly do love Stony Brook. 213 00:12:41,685 --> 00:12:44,525 I, and you'll, you'll hear this time and time again. 214 00:12:44,525 --> 00:12:47,595 Like I, I genuinely did enjoy my time there. 215 00:12:47,595 --> 00:12:48,485 I love Stony Brook. 216 00:12:48,784 --> 00:12:53,935 Um, I'm incredibly appreciative for all these opportunities that they've given me. 217 00:12:54,464 --> 00:12:57,845 Not only in terms of like academic, but also like community. 218 00:12:57,845 --> 00:13:01,165 Like, um, different like leadership positions that I've had. 219 00:13:01,165 --> 00:13:03,115 Like they've truly given me so much. 220 00:13:03,165 --> 00:13:06,875 And I, I do genuinely think that college is absolutely what you make of, out of it. 221 00:13:07,275 --> 00:13:10,055 And that's a life lesson for how much, like, life, like, you, 222 00:13:10,065 --> 00:13:11,585 life is what you make out of it. 223 00:13:11,655 --> 00:13:15,225 You know, the opportunities you take, the risks you take, the people you meet, 224 00:13:15,255 --> 00:13:16,585 and the connections you make, right? 225 00:13:17,315 --> 00:13:22,704 So for me, like, I grew up in Brooklyn, um, I'm extremely close to my family, I've 226 00:13:22,704 --> 00:13:27,575 got quite a large family, and then another outer circle of family friends, uh, so 227 00:13:27,655 --> 00:13:32,575 I knew I didn't want to stray too far, but I did want to go away for college. 228 00:13:32,585 --> 00:13:33,709 So Stony Brook, Brooklyn. 229 00:13:33,990 --> 00:13:38,650 on Long Island definitely gave me a good mix of both where I was far enough to 230 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:45,000 have to and be able to dorm, um, but also just a two hour lure ride away, like a 231 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:49,030 Long Island railroad ride away because at the time I wasn't driving either. 232 00:13:49,060 --> 00:13:54,445 So, um, Being able to commute back home for long weekends and all the 233 00:13:54,445 --> 00:13:58,945 breaks was very convenient while also having a good amount of like some of 234 00:13:58,945 --> 00:14:02,565 my friends, like my friends from home, also choosing that school because of the 235 00:14:02,565 --> 00:14:05,304 same reasons of being super commutable. 236 00:14:05,525 --> 00:14:09,315 And then I have family out on Long Island as well so that was a good. 237 00:14:09,815 --> 00:14:10,465 Oh nice. 238 00:14:10,475 --> 00:14:13,755 Reassuring thing about like oh like if something did happen and it was 239 00:14:13,755 --> 00:14:17,694 like too late to catch the last train like that they'd only be an 240 00:14:17,704 --> 00:14:20,054 hour train of an hour car ride away. 241 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:20,970 Yeah. 242 00:14:20,970 --> 00:14:23,670 And it's such a beautiful area too. 243 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:24,860 Yeah, absolutely. 244 00:14:25,030 --> 00:14:27,740 And then at that time I was, I was a Bio major. 245 00:14:28,820 --> 00:14:33,839 So it was, I mean, they've got their own hospital there and they're very well 246 00:14:33,839 --> 00:14:37,189 known for their incredible healthcare system and their major and how well 247 00:14:37,189 --> 00:14:39,349 like they do with innovation tech. 248 00:14:39,349 --> 00:14:41,060 So yeah, definitely. 249 00:14:41,060 --> 00:14:45,420 But big, big Seawolf, big Sony Brook fan here. 250 00:14:46,585 --> 00:14:51,505 And you won some awards while you were a student there? 251 00:14:51,505 --> 00:14:51,595 Yes. 252 00:14:51,595 --> 00:14:53,420 Quite a few actually. 253 00:14:53,420 --> 00:14:53,700 Thank you. 254 00:14:53,700 --> 00:14:53,940 Thank you. 255 00:14:53,945 --> 00:14:54,235 Yeah. 256 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:59,095 Would you, would you mind sharing what some of those awards were 257 00:14:59,095 --> 00:15:00,985 and, and what they entailed? 258 00:15:01,105 --> 00:15:02,455 Yeah, I'm happy to. 259 00:15:02,455 --> 00:15:04,555 So while I was there, um. 260 00:15:05,030 --> 00:15:09,030 I want to, I think one of the biggest ones for me, like I was most wowed about, 261 00:15:09,350 --> 00:15:13,450 um, is the SUNY Success Story Award. 262 00:15:13,460 --> 00:15:15,359 That was definitely a really big one for me. 263 00:15:15,710 --> 00:15:20,369 This was a nomination from Stony Brook to the SUNY system. 264 00:15:20,759 --> 00:15:26,350 Um, and I guess like that was just like an umbrella of like all the different 265 00:15:26,350 --> 00:15:30,770 leadership roles that I've undertaken, which I'm incredibly grateful for. 266 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,150 And that was back in 2022. 267 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:38,810 As a part of that as well, they also invited me in for their marketing 268 00:15:38,810 --> 00:15:44,089 campaign, um, to promote SUNYs and the SUNY system and I'm a huge 269 00:15:44,089 --> 00:15:49,520 proponer of the SUNY system because I think it really allows like students 270 00:15:49,529 --> 00:15:53,965 to get affordable, Um, access to higher education, like anything. 271 00:15:53,975 --> 00:15:57,225 And I think that that's so incredibly important because 272 00:15:57,675 --> 00:15:58,995 college can be expensive. 273 00:15:58,995 --> 00:16:02,755 College isn't necessarily an option for everyone financially. 274 00:16:02,755 --> 00:16:05,255 And so, especially coming from New York City, like. 275 00:16:05,665 --> 00:16:09,365 It's not a guarantee for everyone to go to college, unfortunately. 276 00:16:09,655 --> 00:16:12,145 So, um, it just makes it more accessible. 277 00:16:12,145 --> 00:16:15,894 And I, I really do appreciate everything that SUNY and Stony Brook has given me. 278 00:16:16,435 --> 00:16:20,415 Um, so that was definitely a very, um, important one for me. 279 00:16:20,415 --> 00:16:24,594 I, I know for that marketing campaign, especially too, like, uh, I've 280 00:16:24,595 --> 00:16:29,274 heard, I haven't seen it myself, but I've heard that I was on, um, 281 00:16:29,345 --> 00:16:32,335 a couple of the MTA train ads. 282 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:37,450 Um, on like the platform, in the trains, like, I wish I caught it, like, I 283 00:16:37,490 --> 00:16:38,950 take the train almost every day now. 284 00:16:40,270 --> 00:16:41,959 Are you telling me I could be on the F train? 285 00:16:44,500 --> 00:16:48,859 Yeah, like, crazy to think that like my face is on, you know, some, some 286 00:16:48,859 --> 00:16:50,509 marketing material in New York City. 287 00:16:50,509 --> 00:16:55,950 And like, I feel like that was, like, SUNY is so such a big, widespread 288 00:16:55,950 --> 00:16:57,774 thing to, for it to be like, popular. 289 00:16:58,555 --> 00:17:01,945 So close to home really is impactful for me. 290 00:17:02,535 --> 00:17:06,894 And then in addition to that, um, so just to give a little background 291 00:17:06,894 --> 00:17:10,064 on a lot of these awards, some leadership positions that I've, I've 292 00:17:10,064 --> 00:17:14,385 had the pleasure of taking and the honor to really be able to, to share. 293 00:17:14,705 --> 00:17:20,505 Um, I was a chapter president for our undergraduate NSSLHA, which 294 00:17:20,505 --> 00:17:23,745 is our National Student Speech and Language Hearing Association. 295 00:17:23,745 --> 00:17:28,715 That's kind of like our pre speech track that I was in since sophomore year. 296 00:17:28,715 --> 00:17:33,035 Like I was very involved immediately, like knew I wanted to not only change 297 00:17:33,035 --> 00:17:37,085 my major, but like go all in on this, like this is what I wanted to do. 298 00:17:37,665 --> 00:17:42,135 And then I was a Resident Assistant (RA), so not only did I dorm, I enjoyed dorming 299 00:17:42,135 --> 00:17:44,835 so, so much and like I wanted it to be. 300 00:17:45,110 --> 00:17:51,060 encouraged and like, I really wanted to, to have everyone welcomed on 301 00:17:51,060 --> 00:17:54,499 campus so that they enjoy their college experience away from home. 302 00:17:54,770 --> 00:17:57,770 Especially I know like, so, Stony Brook has so many students from this city 303 00:17:57,780 --> 00:18:01,149 who have never really been far away from home or like, Long Island and the 304 00:18:01,150 --> 00:18:05,480 suburbs are so different from, from the urban area that like, I wanted 305 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,600 them to feel welcomed and like have the most of their college experience. 306 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:10,600 So I was an RA there. 307 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:16,230 I would say that was definitely the most, I'm trying to find a word for 308 00:18:16,230 --> 00:18:19,380 like the Just the most impactful for me. 309 00:18:19,650 --> 00:18:25,070 Like I know like the campus residents community and like the department there, 310 00:18:25,070 --> 00:18:29,630 like not only like gave, there's a saying that like, not only did they give 311 00:18:29,870 --> 00:18:31,760 give me housing, they gave me a home. 312 00:18:32,630 --> 00:18:37,500 Mm. They the people that I've met, the opportunities, it's further open. 313 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:38,275 Yeah. 314 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,360 Like being able to have a home away from home is. 315 00:18:41,905 --> 00:18:43,835 Yeah, something you can't put words to. 316 00:18:44,415 --> 00:18:49,545 So I, and I was in that position for, for six years, six out of the seven years, 317 00:18:49,545 --> 00:18:50,665 longer than most people are in college. 318 00:18:50,665 --> 00:18:51,885 Oh, wow. 319 00:18:51,895 --> 00:18:54,164 Yes, so it really does speak to. 320 00:18:55,495 --> 00:18:59,645 So I've been to different, different areas that I was an RA and bounced around. 321 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:07,580 Um, love my staff every year, and then in my graduate year, um, I was one of 322 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:12,239 the senators for the graduate student organization, so I know the undergraduates 323 00:19:12,239 --> 00:19:13,929 get a lot of funding, get a lot of hype. 324 00:19:14,020 --> 00:19:17,799 Of course, like all these freshmen are coming in very excited to go to college, 325 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,670 um, and I, I'm, I fear that a lot of the graduate students are forgotten 326 00:19:21,670 --> 00:19:25,570 about, especially like our international graduate students who are coming in to 327 00:19:25,570 --> 00:19:27,400 this country for the very first time. 328 00:19:27,940 --> 00:19:32,470 But there might not be as many like open doors and like welcome invitations 329 00:19:32,470 --> 00:19:37,109 to events as many as like the first year students have because a lot 330 00:19:37,109 --> 00:19:40,999 of the graduate students who aren't international have been here and know 331 00:19:40,999 --> 00:19:42,739 the drill and how I know how it works. 332 00:19:42,999 --> 00:19:47,909 So it's it was really great being able to be on a senator and advocate for. 333 00:19:48,169 --> 00:19:51,819 Not only the graduate students, but also the ADA working group 334 00:19:51,819 --> 00:19:53,249 there and their disability group. 335 00:19:53,849 --> 00:19:57,949 Yeah, yeah, so I just wanted to give a little background on that. 336 00:19:58,139 --> 00:20:02,559 So I, I, from I, what I believe, um, all those different leadership 337 00:20:02,559 --> 00:20:08,554 positions then gave me, um, the Gerald L. Stein Organizational 338 00:20:08,554 --> 00:20:10,734 Leadership for Student Life Award. 339 00:20:11,084 --> 00:20:16,084 Uh, that one, that one did like feel, that one was back in 2022 to 2023. 340 00:20:16,924 --> 00:20:23,584 So at the end of 2023, I got that award and I remember being Like, it felt 341 00:20:23,594 --> 00:20:27,374 like such a, an appreciation and an acknowledgement for all the work that 342 00:20:27,374 --> 00:20:33,328 I've done with the community and like, be able to be like an upperclassman and 343 00:20:33,328 --> 00:20:37,534 be coming towards the end of my academic journey there and like, it was such 344 00:20:37,534 --> 00:20:40,014 a nice, like, goodbye to the school. 345 00:20:40,340 --> 00:20:45,559 And then I was also able to get the Henry and Marcia Laffer Student 346 00:20:45,559 --> 00:20:47,969 Scholarship Award for my graduate program. 347 00:20:48,249 --> 00:20:49,909 Um, that was fantastic. 348 00:20:49,909 --> 00:20:54,539 As, like, as I said before, like, I, I really believe in affordable 349 00:20:54,539 --> 00:20:56,149 access to higher education. 350 00:20:56,149 --> 00:20:58,494 So, the student scholarship really, really helped me. 351 00:20:58,714 --> 00:20:59,634 Helps along way. 352 00:21:01,154 --> 00:21:01,764 Absolutely. 353 00:21:01,774 --> 00:21:05,504 And then through a lot of these trainings and RA training and 354 00:21:05,504 --> 00:21:09,434 student involvement, we want to make sure that our students are, like, 355 00:21:09,434 --> 00:21:11,264 have accessible resources to them. 356 00:21:11,504 --> 00:21:14,814 And that includes, like, Red Watch Band training, Green Dot training. 357 00:21:15,134 --> 00:21:20,634 Um, uh, so through all these trainings, I was also able to get the Upstander 358 00:21:20,654 --> 00:21:24,734 Award for Prevention and Outreach, making sure that these students are 359 00:21:24,744 --> 00:21:28,044 not only equipped for themselves, but also equipped to help others, too. 360 00:21:28,714 --> 00:21:29,304 Mm hmm. 361 00:21:29,939 --> 00:21:30,759 Absolutely. 362 00:21:30,769 --> 00:21:32,119 You know, a lot to summarize. 363 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:35,469 I spent a long time at Stony Brook to put it all together, it's just 364 00:21:35,479 --> 00:21:38,789 like, oh my goodness, let me speed run it and give you the TLDR. 365 00:21:39,529 --> 00:21:44,339 Well, and I think that's one of the things that really, you know, drew us 366 00:21:44,349 --> 00:21:49,409 to want to have this opportunity to really showcase you because you did 367 00:21:49,409 --> 00:21:56,149 such an extraordinary job of presenting, you know, the kind of the breadth and 368 00:21:56,159 --> 00:21:59,569 depth of your experience as a student. 369 00:22:00,394 --> 00:22:05,684 And, you know, you were there for a number of years and had so 370 00:22:05,684 --> 00:22:11,824 many incredible opportunities to, you know, develop as a person and 371 00:22:11,824 --> 00:22:20,664 grow and, um, you know, shape your trajectory and incredible achievements. 372 00:22:20,764 --> 00:22:21,084 Thank you. 373 00:22:21,094 --> 00:22:23,724 Really at each step of the way. 374 00:22:23,744 --> 00:22:31,599 And you've done a beautiful job of Sharing that so that when people come and look 375 00:22:31,599 --> 00:22:37,349 at the, you know, kind of compilation of work and experiences that you've shared 376 00:22:37,349 --> 00:22:42,229 in Digication, even though you do have, you know, many layers to what you've 377 00:22:42,229 --> 00:22:47,214 done and different experiences, you've made it really easy and inviting for 378 00:22:47,214 --> 00:22:51,274 viewers to come in and get to know you. 379 00:22:51,594 --> 00:22:56,924 And, you know, each of these different kinds of experiences that you've had, 380 00:22:57,054 --> 00:23:01,874 you know, on the pages that you've created, you have these wonderful 381 00:23:02,614 --> 00:23:09,334 written reflections that pair with those experiences or examples of work that 382 00:23:09,334 --> 00:23:11,874 you've done or clinical experiences. 383 00:23:11,874 --> 00:23:18,474 So People really get the opportunity to learn more deeply how, you know, 384 00:23:18,504 --> 00:23:24,414 how each of those experiences impacted you and different ways that it kind 385 00:23:24,414 --> 00:23:29,499 of, you know, Let you grow and kind of become the person that you are today. 386 00:23:29,509 --> 00:23:34,249 And it's just such a beautiful example that we're excited to share. 387 00:23:34,249 --> 00:23:38,849 We'll include a link to it in the, um, show notes for our podcast so that 388 00:23:38,849 --> 00:23:44,459 people can go and visit it and get inspired and creating, um, their own. 389 00:23:44,579 --> 00:23:48,694 And, um, It was one of the ways that I, you know, had the opportunity 390 00:23:48,694 --> 00:23:52,284 to learn about some of these many awards that you receive. 391 00:23:52,944 --> 00:23:58,964 And, um, you know, sometimes when we're working with students, sometimes 392 00:23:58,964 --> 00:24:07,619 they may struggle with, um, kind of seeing the value of the different 393 00:24:07,619 --> 00:24:09,379 experiences that they're having. 394 00:24:09,379 --> 00:24:15,889 Some students, uh, especially maybe as undergraduates or, um, new to 395 00:24:15,889 --> 00:24:23,159 the whole college experience may not recognize so easily, uh, the value that 396 00:24:23,169 --> 00:24:25,239 each of their experience is having. 397 00:24:25,239 --> 00:24:29,909 Sometimes they kind of see, you know, each kind of, um, you know, 398 00:24:29,929 --> 00:24:33,549 course that they're taking in college is kind of, you know, checking 399 00:24:33,549 --> 00:24:35,269 off and getting to the next thing. 400 00:24:35,269 --> 00:24:39,609 And you know, the real life is going to happen after graduation 401 00:24:39,609 --> 00:24:43,909 and not taking note that there's all of this incredible growth and 402 00:24:43,909 --> 00:24:46,639 learning that's happening each day. 403 00:24:46,709 --> 00:24:52,204 And having this space where they can kind of showcase that and reflect 404 00:24:52,204 --> 00:24:54,444 on those things can be so valuable. 405 00:24:54,854 --> 00:25:00,144 And I was curious, you know, when you were at Stony Brook, at what stage did 406 00:25:00,144 --> 00:25:07,864 you start kind of creating this, um, Kind of curated experience and kind 407 00:25:07,864 --> 00:25:12,024 of personal branding describing who you are and all of these skills and 408 00:25:12,464 --> 00:25:16,644 were there certain professors that you encouraged you to do that or was it 409 00:25:16,654 --> 00:25:18,614 something that you picked up on your own? 410 00:25:18,634 --> 00:25:19,854 I would love to hear about it. 411 00:25:20,209 --> 00:25:20,989 Yeah, absolutely. 412 00:25:20,989 --> 00:25:25,189 I'm so glad that you mentioned the like first year students because I 413 00:25:25,189 --> 00:25:32,149 actually remember back in my first year I I was also assigned assigned 414 00:25:32,149 --> 00:25:36,549 as like an assignment to do a Digication and I promise you it does 415 00:25:36,559 --> 00:25:47,444 not look as good as this No weird Yes, like I I'm sure It's somewhere. 416 00:25:47,454 --> 00:25:50,254 It definitely still exists somewhere, but it definitely does 417 00:25:50,254 --> 00:25:52,644 not look nearly as good as this. 418 00:25:52,664 --> 00:25:55,934 It was definitely like a, you check a box, you throw a picture in the 419 00:25:55,934 --> 00:25:59,354 background, make it look like semi nice. 420 00:25:59,724 --> 00:26:04,334 But I definitely did not know how many options there could possibly be with this. 421 00:26:04,554 --> 00:26:10,504 However, I, I started this, um, I believe in 2023. 422 00:26:10,944 --> 00:26:16,964 2023. Um, at the very beginning of 2023. 423 00:26:17,384 --> 00:26:21,694 Uh, so I, I had been working on this for over a year and a half, maybe, 424 00:26:21,874 --> 00:26:23,334 yeah, like over a year and a half. 425 00:26:24,394 --> 00:26:30,344 And this was an assignment, um, from my Clinical Professor. 426 00:26:30,724 --> 00:26:37,334 Uh, she actually had us, this is like our, she had us create this because it was. 427 00:26:37,884 --> 00:26:43,364 Our portfolio to send out to people who are hiring, who are hiring or 428 00:26:43,364 --> 00:26:48,034 interviewing us for post graduation. 429 00:26:48,404 --> 00:26:48,964 Okay. 430 00:26:48,994 --> 00:26:49,364 So. 431 00:26:49,474 --> 00:26:50,864 What course was this? 432 00:26:51,104 --> 00:26:55,104 Um, there were a couple different courses that she listed. 433 00:26:55,114 --> 00:26:58,094 So it's the clinical one, two, three, four. 434 00:26:58,094 --> 00:27:04,560 I'm trying to, I'm trying to remember, I can actually pull it up, HHS 582. 435 00:27:05,324 --> 00:27:10,609 So there are a handful of Clinicals that we have to go through, um, there are four 436 00:27:10,619 --> 00:27:18,619 Clinicals, and I believe it's like HHS 581, 582, 583, 584, and these are all 437 00:27:18,649 --> 00:27:24,854 attached to the Speech Language Pathology Program at Stony Brook, um, and, um, 438 00:27:25,094 --> 00:27:29,684 These are in person classes, but they're also a mix of what we do at externship. 439 00:27:29,694 --> 00:27:34,524 How can we apply these skills and talk about our externships and how they'll 440 00:27:34,544 --> 00:27:39,004 compare to what our clinical fellowship is going to look like post graduation. 441 00:27:39,014 --> 00:27:43,004 How after clinical fellowship experience, how that's going to carry 442 00:27:43,004 --> 00:27:49,284 over and look like in our, like our CCCs, like our actual position and job 443 00:27:49,284 --> 00:27:51,734 as full time, um, service providers. 444 00:27:52,584 --> 00:27:58,004 So that was really nice to be able to give me like, okay, like, this is not only for 445 00:27:58,004 --> 00:28:02,154 an assignment, but like, this is what's going to help me get a job in the future. 446 00:28:02,204 --> 00:28:08,114 You know, like I, this is how I'm going to sell and market and like present myself 447 00:28:08,114 --> 00:28:14,539 to a future employer to, to give them a little, bit about me that's beyond just 448 00:28:14,539 --> 00:28:16,299 like three bullet points on a resume. 449 00:28:16,519 --> 00:28:17,479 Right, right. 450 00:28:17,529 --> 00:28:23,299 Like how can I make myself stand out from a thousand other applicants? 451 00:28:23,299 --> 00:28:27,969 And I, for me, like I knew that I was coming back to the New York 452 00:28:27,969 --> 00:28:29,159 City Department of Education. 453 00:28:29,159 --> 00:28:32,429 Like that's always where I knew I wanted to go, especially 454 00:28:32,429 --> 00:28:33,949 because I'm from Brooklyn. 455 00:28:34,129 --> 00:28:36,039 I have that school experience. 456 00:28:36,039 --> 00:28:37,299 I love working with kids. 457 00:28:37,639 --> 00:28:38,109 Um. 458 00:28:38,624 --> 00:28:42,044 And I know that like, this is where my mom worked. 459 00:28:42,044 --> 00:28:46,904 Like I knew that it was a great union to be in a great, a salary schedule to 460 00:28:46,904 --> 00:28:49,274 follow, great school schedule to follow. 461 00:28:49,604 --> 00:28:53,314 And then from my previous subbing experience too, like I, I knew I 462 00:28:53,314 --> 00:28:57,874 wanted to end up in the DOE, however, the do e is extremely competitive 463 00:28:57,904 --> 00:29:02,104 to get into because everyone else also wants to get into the DOE. 464 00:29:02,554 --> 00:29:07,434 So I knew that I, if I wanted to get the position, I had to stand out and. 465 00:29:08,229 --> 00:29:10,869 I thought to myself, like, well, I had already been to the career fair, 466 00:29:10,869 --> 00:29:12,499 like, I have a pretty strong resume. 467 00:29:12,729 --> 00:29:17,789 What else can I do to help me not only do well in the interview, but how 468 00:29:17,789 --> 00:29:19,279 do I even land myself an interview? 469 00:29:19,509 --> 00:29:24,189 How do I get my resume to their eyes, you know? 470 00:29:24,929 --> 00:29:29,519 So I remember, um, cold, cold emailing, admittedly. 471 00:29:29,619 --> 00:29:33,924 Um, that's some advice I'd gotten from other um, Speech Therapists that had 472 00:29:33,924 --> 00:29:39,524 already gotten into the DOE like that, they got in through cold emailing and like 473 00:29:39,524 --> 00:29:44,324 had going into the database and like this excel sheet of like two hundred something 474 00:29:44,490 --> 00:29:51,034 Speech Re... ... And Speech Revisors and you write in a paragraph about yourself, 475 00:29:51,064 --> 00:29:53,914 who you are, and attach your resume. 476 00:29:54,670 --> 00:29:57,920 But a lot of people, like, might still have, like, paper 477 00:29:57,950 --> 00:29:59,880 dedu... paper portfolios. 478 00:30:00,110 --> 00:30:02,140 Some might not have shared their portfolios. 479 00:30:02,150 --> 00:30:05,369 Some might not have felt confident about their portfolio enough to share. 480 00:30:05,939 --> 00:30:13,709 Um, but I remember very proudly attaching my link, um, to that, 481 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:15,869 that mini paragraph about myself. 482 00:30:15,869 --> 00:30:18,679 And I like to think that, like, this is something that they would look at. 483 00:30:19,089 --> 00:30:23,100 I know that a lot of times, like, they'll briefly skim through Um, your 484 00:30:23,100 --> 00:30:27,210 resume, but if they have another link and have something else that's eye 485 00:30:27,230 --> 00:30:30,510 catching to look at, um, why not? 486 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:33,270 Or have something memorable if they just click that link. 487 00:30:34,285 --> 00:30:38,185 So I wanted it to be, um, a strong representation of myself. 488 00:30:38,185 --> 00:30:42,665 Like, it's not only very organized, but I've got a lot of leadership experience. 489 00:30:42,665 --> 00:30:43,915 I want to show it off, you know. 490 00:30:43,915 --> 00:30:45,785 I have a lot of extracurricular essay. 491 00:30:46,165 --> 00:30:51,265 I want to show that I'm not only great at my externships and my academics, 492 00:30:51,265 --> 00:30:52,084 but I'm a well rounded person. 493 00:30:52,175 --> 00:30:56,665 Well rounded candidate for the position that I've had a lot of experience to. 494 00:30:58,065 --> 00:31:02,505 Here's a preview of what's coming up next in part two of my conversation 495 00:31:02,525 --> 00:31:06,334 with Sharron Huang, recent graduate of Stony Brook University. 496 00:31:06,664 --> 00:31:11,474 Our success is their success and that I think is also why I chose to come back 497 00:31:11,484 --> 00:31:15,325 to Stony Brook because I personally had Dr. Fabus who's the head of the program. 498 00:31:15,365 --> 00:31:20,535 I had taken her classes as a pre speech track student in 499 00:31:20,535 --> 00:31:22,065 the summers and in the winters. 500 00:31:22,710 --> 00:31:26,200 So being able to like have that personal experience with her and I 501 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:30,790 know how much she's invested into the program and invested in our success. 502 00:31:31,009 --> 00:31:34,610 I, I knew she would be happy to write a letter of recommendation, 503 00:31:34,610 --> 00:31:38,400 especially with how, how involved I was with the program and how she 504 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:40,359 really would love us to see us succeed.