Contar Cuentos es Nuestra Vida (Telling Stories is Our Life)

University of Wyoming Students of Speech-Language Pathology Start Date: Feb 20, 2014 - End Date: Jun 19, 2014
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Antigua, Guatemala
  • Sololá, Guatemala
  • Guatemala City, Guatemala
  • Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala

My Travel Story

by: University of Wyoming Students of Speech-Language Pathology Start Date: Feb 20, 2014 - End Date: Jun 19, 2014
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
We are a group of students from the Division of Communication Disorders at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY. We share a common background as Spanish-speakers working towards becoming bilingual speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This upcoming May and June, we are participating in a trip to Guatemala where we will volunteer speech-language services (assessments and treatment) at a non-profit private school called Brillo de Sol. We will also deliver professional development presentations to local SLPs and university instructors. This program is the first of its kind in our department, and we look forward to building lasting relationships with schools and organizations in Guatemala. 

Brillo de Sol was specifically founded to serve disabled children. There are only a few schools of this sort in Guatemala, because the country does not benefit from legislation that provides individuals with disabilities the right to adequate services in public schools. Most of the students attending this school are of Mayan origin, and have failed in the public school system. Brillo de Sol is one of few places that provides these students the education and vocational skills needed for employment when they graduate. Without the support of this school, and others like it, many Guatemalans with disabilities are more prone to homelessness, substance abuse, and exclusion from economic opportunities.

With the guidance of our professor Dr. Doug Petersen, PhD, CCC-SLP, and our clinical supervisor Ms. Christiane Dechert, M.A., CCC-SLP, we will establish contacts and explore possibilities for several international collaborative projects. We will also assist in the instruction of international professionals and university instructors on the administration of narrative language assessment and intervention. This will allow us to collaborate with local universities to discuss cross-cultural and cross-curricular issues that impact populations in Guatemala and abroad.

By supporting our campaign, you will enable us to gain critical experiences interacting with other professionals and providing services in a second language (Spanish). You will help us to provide training, resources, and necessary services to many individuals spanning various communities in Guatemala. You will also provide much needed sponsorships for individual students who would otherwise not be able to attend school.

 

·  Donors who contribute $50 will receive a handmade postcard from a Brillo de Sol student.

·  Donors who contribute $100 or more will receive a Brillo de Sol T-shirt.

·  Any and all donations are greatly appreciated, and will gain you access to our blog which will be updated with pictures and journal entries along the way!
  • Antigua, Guatemala
  • Sololá, Guatemala
  • Guatemala City, Guatemala
  • Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala

Updates

8

  • Meet: Mike Soriano

    Meet: Mike Soriano

    A photo of me at Medicine Bow

    A Little About Me:     I earned my bachelor's degree in Spanish and Mass communication at Black Hills State University. While I was in school, I studied abroad for a summer in Granada, Spain. After graduating, I took a position as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor. I loved teaching ESL and watching my students progress each day, but decided I wanted to do more by helping individuals with communication disorders. Speech-language pathology was a perfect fit for me, so I applied to graduate programs and decided on the University of Wyoming, where I am currently a graduate student in speech-language pathology.

    Motivation for Trip: I am very excited to provide speech and language services in Guatemala. I can't wait to experience the country and people and learn more about their culture. I am especially excited to speak and better learn Guatemalan Spanish. Thank you to everyone that has already donated to our campaign and to everyone who has provided us support in any other way! You all are awesome!

  • Meet: Allison Long

    Meet: Allison Long

    Pictured: My Chilean graduating class 2011

    A Little About Me:
    Hello all, like Jen, I would like to share a little bit about myself with you all. I am currently a Junior at the University of Wyoming double majoring in Spanish and Communication Disorders. When I was in high school I was given the incredible opportunity to travel to Spain and Italy with my classmates for a couple of weeks. That time abroad opened my eyes to the world around me, and I fell in love with seeing new places and experiencing new cultures. Having found my passion, I decided to work and save enough money to go study abroad in Chile for my senior year of high school. Throughout my time there I was fortunate enough to see all of the beautiful sights Chile has to offer and met some of the friendliest people I had ever encountered. Unfortunately, I was constantly surrounded by the devastating effects that an earthquake had created just one year prior to my arrival. This led me to my second passion: helping others in whichever way I could.

    Upon returning home, I attended Montana State University-Billings for a semester and then moved to Gillette Community College to be closer to my family. After a semester in Gillette, I finally made my way to the University of Wyoming. It was at this time that I began to take an interest in speech-language pathology. I learned about this field of study through a friend of my mother’s. Listening to how passionate she was and the difference she made in other people’s lives immediately got me hooked, so that next day I changed my major to Communication Disorders.

    Motivation for Trip: This trip will be unlike anything I have experienced thus far. I am so honored to be part of such a great team and to be working for something that will truly make a difference in people’s lives. I look forward to contributing in whatever way I can. It will impact my life tremendously and hopefully open new doors that I never would have come across before.

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