Clarissa Montgomery first learned about Speech Pathology in high school. Ever since, Montgomery has been working on building her credentials to work in this field in the future. This path has included a major in health sciences and an extended minor in linguistics, which includes a Certificate in Speech Sciences. Montgomery is very happy with her direction, as these programs have given her a diverse and comprehensive foundation to pursue her future career.

Montgomery chose SFU because of the renowned Faculty of Health Sciences and the accomplished Department of Linguistics. During her undergrad career, Montgomery has gained valuable skills and knowledge which have given her the tools she needs in order to pursue her goal of becoming a speech pathologist. Eventually, Montgomery hopes to combine her passion for research with her enthusiasm for working directly with patients.

The Language Learning and Development Lab has been lucky to have Montgomery supporting them as a research assistant, where she was able to apply her passion for research and put what she learned to practical use. Montgomery states that she has benefitted greatly from her data analysis and critical thinking skills she picked up, which are proving to be extremely useful for both her past and future research endeavors.

Montgomery’s biggest piece of advice for current and future undergraduate students at SFU is: Manage your time wisely! “It’s easy to get behind in university, no matter the program you’re in”, and that it is important “to keep on top of your work. Trust me, it’s worth it.” Montgomery added that she wish she that she had been more receptive to that advice herself during her undergrad. She certainly isn’t the only one!

The Parisian school École Normale Supérieure is lucky to have Montgomery as a cognitive science graduate student. Montgomery is part of an interdisciplinary program, as this particular program focuses on bringing students together from various fields in cognitive science. This will undoubtedly be a valuable further step towards her career in speech pathology, which she intends on pursing thereafter. Best of luck Clarissa Montgomery in your future endeavours!