The Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences congratulates our May 2023 graduates! We proudly celebrate the accomplishments of our students, like Kyndal Smith, a TCU Davies School of Communication Sciences & Disorders speech pathology major and child development minor. She spoke with Harris College about her undergraduate and post-graduate endeavors.
Why did you choose your area of study?
I chose speech pathology randomly. I came to TCU for a campus tour and my tour guide was a speech pathology major. My mom told me to consider it because she always told me I talked a lot, and she knew I was interested in helping people in some capacity. After taking my first communication sciences and disorders (COSD) class I fell in love with speech pathology and knew it was something I could see myself doing in the future.
What brought you to TCU?
I knew nothing about TCU before my tour here. My dad planned a trip to Texas to tour TCU, SMU and Baylor because he went to graduate school at SMU. After being on this campus for 10 minutes (even though it was raining), I fell in love with TCU and how nice everyone was during the tour. I could tell just from the tour that the people here were genuine, and it made me feel welcomed and wanted.
What have you enjoyed most about being a Horned Frog?
TCU makes it so easy to try new things; one example would be studying abroad. I didn’t think I would have the chance to go abroad and I’m glad I was able to make it work with my schedule. I went to London through a COSD course and enjoyed every minute of it. During my time here I also enjoyed the fact that there is always something happening on campus. My favorite events were the Christmas tree lighting and the various concerts over the years. These events were not only fun but always included some sort of TCU merch to take home (which I enjoyed collecting).
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan on attending the University of Houston to earn a master’s degree in speech pathology. I will miss TCU so much, but I’m excited to start a new adventure in Houston!
How did TCU help prepare you for your future career?
The amount of hands-on learning in our COSD program has helped me prepare for what the future will look like. For example, in many of the COSD courses, we participated in labs that showed us how to apply what we were learning in class in a clinical setting.
Was there any particular experience that was especially helpful?
I’d say the most helpful thing TCU did in preparing me for my future career was giving me the opportunity to observe and treat clients in the Miller Speech and Hearing Clinic. Now that I’m on the other side of the grad school process, I’ve learned that very few undergraduate programs allow you to work with real clients. I loved getting to observe and work with clients because I witnessed them grow. This experience helped me feel a lot more confident in my abilities both in graduate school and in my future career as a speech pathologist.
What makes TCU so special to you?
The TCU community is so special. Everyone is so supportive of each other and my experience with the faculty has been amazing. I also love that there’s so much school spirit here. Everyone is always eager to support the Horned Frogs! I love wearing TCU gear all the time; being from North Carolina, it’s always a great conversation starter when I’m at home. I’m sad to be leaving TCU but extremely grateful for all the memories I’ve made here.
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment while at TCU.
I would say my biggest accomplishment was making the Harris College Dean’s list last semester. One of my goals was to make it on the list before I graduate, and it was so awesome to finally achieve it. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of my cohort and my professors.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I wouldn’t trade my experience at TCU for the world!
