March 03, 2021 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo
Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Monique Mills, who got her bachelor of science in SHS and a Ph.D. in SHS. Currently, Mills is an associate professor of communication sciences and disorders in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Houston.
Q: Why did you pick AHS?
A: After taking a class in Special Education, titled Exceptional Children, I decided that I wanted to become a speech-language pathologist, to help persons who are nonverbal communicate. This led me to begin taking courses in Speech & Hearing Science.
Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?
A: All of my professors impacted me. Most especially Dr. Ruth Watkins, my doctoral advisor and Dr. Adele Proctor, who first introduced me to subject I’ve been studying since: narrative assessment in school-age African-American children. My dissertation committee deeply influenced my thinking around qualitative research methods (Anne Hass Dyson) and how African-American English was presented in children’s literature (Violet Harris, Betsy Hearne). Then, there were professors within my department who influenced me through their stellar teaching (Cynthia Thompson) and clinical research (Pam Hadley).
Q: What course did you most enjoy?
A: As an undergraduate, I most enjoyed courses in SHS that focused on child language development. I also quite enjoyed the Kinesiology course on ice skating that I took with a friend. As a doctoral student, I most enjoyed coursework in Curriculum & Instruction because I met an interdisciplinary group of friend I remain in touch with. I also very much enjoyed learning situation modeling from Elizabeth Stein-Morrow in Psychology.
Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?
A: I knew that I was interested in speech-language pathology. It’s interesting, Education led me to AHS.
Q: Did your AHS experience lead to your current job?
A: Yes, I majored in Speech & Hearing Science (SHS) in the undergrad program at UIUC, the master’s program at Ohio State University, and the doctoral program at UIUC.
Q: What is your current job?
A: Currently, I’m an associate professor of communication sciences and disorders.
Q: When did you graduate and with what degree?
A: I graduated with a bachelor of science in SHS and a PhD in SHS from UIUC. So I have two degrees from AHS. At the time, it was ALS.
Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?
A: My favorite on-campus experience was partaking in all of the yummy food on Green Street and strolling across the quad, of course.
Q: What would you say to recommend AHS to a prospective student?
A: I would say AHS values excellence. As an undergraduate student I was on the Dean’s list a lot, and it felt good to be appreciated publicly in receptions at mom’s day weekend.
Editor’s note:
To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
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