Rachel shares her passion for speech therapy and helping others

Rachel is originally from Portland, Oregon but moved to Austin eight years ago in pursuit of warmer weather. Prior to moving, she went to the University of Oregon where she completed the Communication Disorders and Sciences undergrad program and attended Eastern Washington University for grad school.

With a passion for working with kids, Rachel always knew she wanted to specialize in speech therapy. She liked that it was a more niche field with the ability to work with small groups.

While in the Chicago area, she worked for eLuma, an end-to-end student services provider that addresses Mental Health and Special Education intervention needs. Now that she’s in Texas, she’s looking for something more local to Austin including companies with corporate locations here in town. Rachel shares, “I hope to find a speech therapy role within a company that offers an opportunity for growth and leadership opportunities.”

While Rachel came in for a headshot, this wasn’t her first rodeo at DFSA. She initially heard about the organization from a friend who had experience with our career support program. Rachel has also completed several appointments alongside long-time volunteer Liz Bronson, who was recognized for receiving the HER Empowerment Award at this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Event. Rachel comments, “Career support has been great. Volunteers like Liz are encouraging and motivational. They help me get on the right track and offer helpful insights, consistency and accountability. Mentors inspire me to set goals for myself.”

Through our programs, Rachel has searched for roles, completed resume edits and received advice from professional recruiters like Liz who have hands-on experience helping people find the right role. Rachel is excited for what’s ahead and plans to participate in the latest Path to Employment cohort where she will be paired with a dedicated mentor over the course of six weeks.