Alice Lee

Combining her desire to serve others with her experience living cross-culturally, Alice Lee '19 has found the perfect pursuit in speech pathology.

"I have always had a heart and love for learning and using my knowledge to practically help others. I look forward to channeling my passion to serve people into a career in speech pathology."

What people and experiences prepared you for a career in speech pathology?

Growing up, I lived in many different cities and countries, and because of those cross-cultural experiences, I was able to encounter and develop relationships with people from many different backgrounds. I think that my ability to work as a team and effectively collaborate with others came from my experiences of having interacted with many different people over the years. My love for interacting with diverse populations also came from my past experiences. I have always had a heart and love for learning and using my knowledge to practically help others. I think that my passion to serve people through speech pathology gradually blossomed throughout my time here at Calvin as I learned more about the intricacies of speech pathology and more about myself and what I could learn and also offer back to others.

How have you learned to apply your faith to clinical practice?

Professors at Calvin do a wonderful job of integrating theory and practice with faith. It was through discussions in classes, journals, and individual meetings with professors that I was able to broaden my perspective and think about how I would realistically live out my faith through this field in a non-Christian setting. Professors and clinical instructors bring so much wisdom and experience to the table and are open to share about them! My education here has helped me to think more critically about the ethics behind practice, how to approach therapy with clients from various backgrounds, and also about the implications of attitudes and systematic structures in which our profession functions under from a faith-perspective.

Why did you choose to major in speech pathology?

I first was drawn to speech pathology because it seemed like such a wonderful combination of the medical and educational fields, both of which I had wanted to pursue in the past. I also wanted to work directly with people and to be able to use my knowledge and gifts to help others, and speech pathology was the perfect major for that. The more I delved into the major, even with its challenges, the more I fell in love with it. It opened my eyes to how I could be used in this field both here and elsewhere in the future for those who do not have access to these services or are not aware of the potential of functional therapy.

What part of Calvin’s mission resonates with you, and why?

I would say that Calvin’s mission to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s disciples resonates with me the most. In everything we do, I think that it is important to strive to live wholeheartedly, to avidly learn to use our knowledge to serve others and reflect Christ in all that we do, and to find our joy and passion in the all the ups and downs of our everyday lives. I pray to seek God’s blessings in every step of this journey of life and to rejoice in all circumstances so that I may share God’s love and grace wholeheartedly through my work and interactions with others.

What’s one thing that surprised you about Calvin?

I think that I underestimated how rigorous Calvin’s education was before coming here. Not only do you receive a well-rounded education in many different areas outside your own major, but you also delve deeply into the material and learn to think critically about your own education and application of that knowledge. Calvin professors push you to think deeper and challenge you to adventure outside of your comfort zone!