Kristen Anderson
Kristen Anderson is a junior in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science.
What are your general impressions of your studies and SHS as a whole?
The SHS department has been so great during my undergrad experience thus far. The coursework has been a lot of fun and I’ve loved all my SHS classes.
It's nice getting all the benefits and having all the fun experiences a large school like the University of Illinois has to offer, but still having a
close-knit community within SHS. At a school this big it can be hard to be on a first-name basis with your advisors and professors, but since SHS is
smaller than most majors, you get to know everyone very quickly.
What has been your most interesting experience at the University of Illinois?
My most interesting experiences at the University of Illinois have been the research opportunities I’ve had with Dr. Pamela Hadley and Dr. Matthew
Rispoli in the Applied Psycholinguistics Laboratory. During my freshman year, I had the opportunity to sit in on the lab meetings Dr. Hadley held with
the older students doing research in the lab. It gave me a good idea of what I could do in the future and sparked my interest in language development
and children’s language in general. This year I will be helping out with different parts of the lab and the research going on in there.
What are your post-graduation plans?
After I complete my undergraduate studies here, I plan on going on to a graduate program to pursue my Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology.
I’m not positive where I want to ultimately work once I finish with school because the field gives you so many options. As of right now I would like to
work in either a high school or in a hospital with traumatic brain injury patients.
What extracurricular activities/student organizations are you involved with?
I am a member of the SHS student organization, the National Student Speech, Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA). I am also the SHS Ambassador for
the Applied Health Sciences Student Council. I am a member of various honors societies and I volunteer with many different places in the Champaign area such
as the Crisis Nursery, and I tutor at Booker T. Washington Elementary School.
What do you like to do for fun?
I love meeting new people, whether through volunteering or hanging out with friends. It’s easy to constantly meet new and interesting people on a campus
of this size. I also enjoy football season—it’s my favorite time of the school year!
Why would you recommend SHS and/or AHS to others?
AHS is a smaller college within the University of Illinois, which is a fairly large university. SHS is such a warm and open environment and you get to
know your peers and the faculty very quickly. I’ve had such a great academic experience and met so many fun and interesting people, I couldn’t imagine
going to any other school!