The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) recently featured one of Sac State’s students in its Humans of ASHA blog. Coral Connor is finishing up her Second Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology in Sac State’s Speech Pathology Department. The program is coordinated by the College of Continuing Education. 

Modeled after the Humans of New York blog, Humans of ASHA is OUR version of the faces and stories that surround us. The concept evolved as the Convention Program Committee talked about the 2016 Convention theme, “Everyday leadership. Leadership every day.” We realized that the members and affiliates of ASHA all had everyday stories of their own to tell. Everyday leadership moments and everyday life.”

Humans of ASHA: Coral Connor

When I was younger, I loved language and I wanted to graduate from college. Those were the only things I knew for sure. My childhood was otherwise unstable. Although there was a lot of love, we moved a lot and we were even homeless a few times. As a young adult, I succeeded in becoming the first person in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree (with honors!). This took me five years to accomplish while working side jobs to support myself. After graduating, I worked in the finance world for a few years. The income and professional experience were good, but it became obvious that sitting behind a computer and crunching numbers all day wasn’t a match for my values and interests. I wanted to help people, to be in a research-based field, and to use my analytical skills. I took a few career assessments and they all pointed to SLP, among other professions. I called my local university and spoke with the head of the communication sciences and disorders department. I interviewed and shadowed several gracious SLPs. All systems flashed, “GO!” so I quit my job and now I’m working on my second bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology at Sacramento State. I will apply for master’s programs this winter. While the coursework is rigorous, I’m happy to be on a career path that ignites my passion and helps fulfill my purpose in life.