Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences is preparing to graduate an outstanding spring 2022 class. Two of its graduates include Jamaica Okech from the School of Social Work and Annalea Pedigo from the Davies School of Communication Sciences & Disorders.
Jamaica Okech
Bachelor of Social Work
Jamaica Okech
Why did you choose to attend TCU?
I chose TCU because I felt like it was a good fit for me. I loved the campus and how accessible things were compared to other schools I visited. A highlight was the number of opportunities for leadership and engaging in the TCU community. I knew that I would grow as a student at TCU.
Tell us about your internships and involvement during your time at TCU.
During my time at TCU, I have been involved in multiple organizations, most notably, being vice president of Psi Chi International Honor Society. It has been a great experience working with the rest of the executive board to create and promote fun events. We created a Big Little mentorship program and this year we hosted a beach volleyball tournament for charity. I am also a student intern at Crisis Text Line, an organization that provides free, 24/7, quality text-based mental health support and crisis intervention to support people in their moments of need. As a student intern, I work as a crisis counselor where I work one-on-one with clients using de-escalation skills, finding resources and working on safety planning.
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment while at TCU.
My proudest accomplishment at TCU was receiving my acceptance letter! I was so excited at the time, and it was even more meaningful being the first traditional college student in my family.
What will you miss most about TCU?
The communities I am a part of on campus. I will miss my social work cohort, Chi Alpha and Psi Chi, among others.
What’s next for you?
Graduate school! I am still deciding where to attend.
Annalea Pedigo
Communication Sciences & Disorders
Annalea Pedigo
Why did you choose to attend TCU?
I chose to attend TCU because of the small-campus-but-big-school feel. I felt immediately connected to the faculty in Harris College, as well as the students who attend this school. TCU immediately felt like a place I could call home, and I knew I would be accepted and supported throughout my time here. All of this came to be true during my four years at TCU, and I am so grateful!
Tell us about your internships and involvement during your time at TCU.
My favorite club I have been involved in has been NSSLHA (National Student Speech Language Hearing Association). This club was amazing to help me get plugged in to my major, as well as learn about different specialties and professions associated with my major while also giving back to my community. I was so excited to be an officer and eventually be elected president. This has been an amazing opportunity to meet the faculty and students and give back to a program that has done so much for me! Another fun time for me was studying abroad in Australia. It was so exciting to learn more about my profession, as well as the importance of cultural differences. Finally, I held an internship at Jumpstart Pediatrics and learned so much about this realm of speech pathology. I also completed a summer college internship where I worked in an adult memory care center while shadowing a speech-language pathologist. That was also such an amazing opportunity.
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment while at TCU.
My proudest accomplishment while at TCU has to be being elected by my peers and faculty to serve on NSSLHA Executive Board. This was so validating and exciting for me as I love serving in my community, and I felt so humbled that others saw me as a leader in this major.
What will you miss most about TCU? What’s next for you?
I feel like the luckiest girl ever because I get to continue my education at TCU to obtain my master’s in speech-language pathology. This has been an absolute dream of mine since my freshman year, and I am so excited to continue learning with this faculty and deepen my clinical knowledge and skills. After these next two years, I will definitely miss this tight-knit community and fellowship I believe that is only found at TCU.