WSSLHA was honored to have Ms. Amina Siddiqui, CCC-SLP and Mrs. Aaron Hardy-Smith, CCC-SLP speak at our first guest speaker meeting of the semester on 9/27 at 7:30 PM on Zoom.
Mrs. Hardy-Smith completed her B.S. and M.A. at Western Michigan University and began her career working as a school-based SLP. She gained plenty of school-based work experience in multiple school districts and charter schools before becoming faculty here at Wayne State in 2010! She worked as part-time supervisor and then became full-time clinical faculty, teaching classes and providing supervision for Wayne State graduate students in outpatient clinics. She then worked in administrations in the DPS district. She is currently the director of Speech-Language Pathology at MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy. Her professional interests include serving culturally and linguistically diverse clientele as well as recruitment and retention of underrepresented professionals in the field of SLP, understanding and learning more about the impacts of complex trauma on the brain of developing children, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and special education law.
Ms. Amina Siddiqui completed her B.S. and M.A. in CSD at Eastern Michigan University in 2021. She just recently completed her Clinical Fellowship Year, which was from September 2021-July 2022. During her graduate years she had internships in a public school setting, inpatient rehabilitation, and through teletherapy. She currently works as a Speech-Language Pathologist at MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy. Ms. Siddiqui's professional interests include diversity and inclusion in the field of SLP, providing services through teletherapy, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and interprofessional practice/collaboration.
In our meeting, Mrs. Hardy-Smith and Ms. Siddiqui explained to us what the Clinical Fellowship Year is and what it entails, including its requirements and qualifications for students and mentors. They also spoke about their personal CFY experiences and shared their tips! Here is a recap:
Mrs. Hardy-Smith focused on the school-based setting for her CFY, working with children from headstart to K-12. A few things she took from her CF mentor were organization, self-advocacy, and how to have difficult conversations with administration and parents. Something she appreciated about her mentor was that she was present for her first IEP meetings and provided her great feedback. Some of her tips for students in their CFY are: asking questions, sharing your thoughts honestly to your mentor, maintaining a work/life balance, utilizing a planner, and not throwing away what you learned and practiced in undergraduate and graduate school.
Ms. Siddiqui was mentored during her second segment of her CFY by Mrs. Hardy-Smith after having to change mentors mid-CFY. Something that was important to her during her CFY was building a strong relationship with her mentor and getting plenty of feedback, which built up her confidence and independence as a SLP. She found that her mentor was someone she could trust and confide in when it came to her fears, doubts, and struggles as a beginning SLP. Some of her tips when it comes to the CFY are: keeping an open mind, communicating as much as you can with your mentor, staying organized, asking plenty of questions, and not comparing yourself to others.
If you would like to reach out to our guests:
Aaron Hardy-Smith, CCC-SLP,
Director of Speech Language Pathology with MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy Email: ahsmith@metroehs.com Amina Siddiqui, CCC-SLP,
SLP with MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy Email: asiddiqui@metroehs.com