After graduation, CSD students move on to rewarding careers in teaching and research, clinical care, or private industry. Here are just a few of their stories.
Brienne Hennessy![]() Graduation Year: 2007 What were keys Iowa provided to you that contributed to your professional success? Where are you now and how have you applied what you learned? I am fascinated by how the threads of our lives unfold, and I have the department to thank for being a primary catalyst to my goal of working in the medical setting, specifically in adult voice disorders. Over the past 14 years, I have had the immense privilege of working at 3 of the top academic voice clinics in the country, to serve in leadership roles for ASHA SIG3, to mentor 5 outstanding Clinical Fellows, to be an invited speaker and published author, and to cultivate relationships I will forever cherish. In September 2020, I took the big leap from my Senior Speech Pathology Clinician role and started my entrepreneurial journey with my business, Your Vocal Vitality, LLC. The desire to create new ways of working, and serve those beyond current levels of service delivery and accessibility is a gift. I am now on a mission to elevate the communication and self-worth of women through their voices, guiding them to see and protect the voice for the vital asset that it is, and align with their inner voice to be truly heard as they share their unique messages. The depths of how we communicate with ourselves and with others, and how distortions and dissonance in that exchange can reduce our potential is profound, and yet I know from the incredible transformations in people I have had the honor to witness over the years, the outcomes are life-altering. I am proud to ignite and expand that potential for as many as possible! |
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James LewisGraduation Year: 2010 and again in 2013 Looking back, what were the keys Iowa provided to you that contribute to your professional success?
I cannot say enough about how beneficial the academic and research environment at Iowa was to my own professional development. Looking back, the one thing I appreciate the most was the freedom I was given to explore. Importantly, with that freedom I was also provided the tools to make discoveries. I’m indebted to many at Iowa, especially my PhD mentor, Shawn Goodman. Shawn taught me MATLAB programming, digital-signal processing, and the foundational principles governing acquisition and analysis of signals. These skills have been principal in my development as an independent investigator.
Finally, Iowa gave me a community. My classmates were fantastic, and I treasure the time we spent together. The faculty and staff were so welcoming and friendly, extending hospitality to me and the other students. Moreover, we (students) were treated as equals. I have sought to emulate the hospitality, collegiality and respect I experienced at Iowa with my own students.
What’s your current position, and how have you applied what you learned? |