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Featured Alumni

SLHS Alumni sharing both the MSU Denver experience, and how that has shaped who they are today in their life and in their career.

 


Lesley Lange, MA, CCC-SLP, CBIS.

Speech-Language-Pathologist

Lesley Lange, MA, CCC-SLP, CBIS gave us the opportunity to ask her some questions about her experience at MSU Denver and how it's helped shape her career.

What was the most valuable experience you had at MSU Denver or the SLHS program?

I returned to college as an older student having completed my first degree 20 years earlier. MSU Denver provided the perfect balance of individualized support coupled with high academic expectations to allow me to succeed. After I graduated from MSU Denver, I completed my Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. My undergraduate training at MSU Denver, prepared me exceptionally well for the rigor of graduate school, and provided a solid foundation in the both the skills needed to continue my training as a Speech Language Pathologist, as well as the overlapping Audiology basics that support my work. My professors at MSU Denver, were not only expert in their fields, but highly vested in imparting that knowledge to their students, I know that the students from the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences program were all well prepared for graduate school and beyond. 
 

Where are you at currently in your career?

"I am the lead Speech Language Pathologist at O.T. Plus, Inc., where I specialize in working with clients, in home, clinic or community settings, who have experienced brain injuries of varying severity. In addition to targeting language and speech deficits, I assist clients with cognitive aspects of communication including attention, memory, problem-solving, and executive functions. I have continued to pursue additional training and certifications, including  LSVT LOUD™, (Lee Silverman, Voice Treatment) a research-based exercise approach designed to assist people with Parkinson's disease and other neurologic disorders, and the Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) certification through the Brain Injury Association of America. I presented at the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado's Conference last year, describing my work with customized strategy provision to support deficits in endurance, attention, language, literacy, memory, processing, and executive function after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. 
 
I am currently pursuing additional certifications in Literacy assessment and treatment, and am excited to be in the process of opening a private practice specializing in interventions for students with dyslexia and related language learning disabilities. I anticipate continuing to work in the adult setting part-time, and know that many of the compensatory strategies I provide my current adult clients with attentional and organizational challenges will overlap with students who experience
these challenges in school or college settings." 
 
She is also in the process of opening WordsWorth Space-Language Pathology, a private practice.
 

If there was one thing you could tell future students of the program, what would it be?

"It has been wonderful over the past year to host MSU Denver's SLHS students for observations and facilitate their learning and experience. I think students from MSU Denver tend to underestimate the quality of their programs. My graduate school class was drawn from some very highly regarded universities from all over the country, and frequently these students from schools like Vanderbilt and Northwestern, would comment on the depth and clarity of the MSU Denver student's training and especially the retention of the knowledge the school's professors so expertly instructed."

Laura Smith, MA, CCC-SLP

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‌‌Laura Smith, MA, CCC-SLP graduated from the SLHS program with her bachelor's degree in 2003. She worked as a speech-language pathology assistant for two years post-graduation before getting her master's degree in speech-language pathology. Laura credits MSU Denver and its strong SLHS department for preparing her for graduate level coursework, and ultimately a satisfying and rewarding career in the field of speech language pathology. Now CASANA recognized for Advanced Training & Clinical Expertise in Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), Laura splits her time between the schools and private practice where she specializes in CAS.


Mandi Solat

‌‌‌Mandi Solat has owned Audiology Services in Lakewood since 2002.  She came to MSU Denver in 1993 and finished her SLHS leveling courses in 1994.  Mandi has a severe bilateral hearing loss and specializes in dispensing amplification.  She practices in the same medical office as an ear, nose, and throat physician, but she owns her own practice.  Every semester, Mandi welcomes MSU Denver students to her office so they can observe a private practice audiologist in a medical setting.

 


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