Marissa Mann, M.S. '22, Praises NYMC SLP Curriculum for Preparing Her for Professional Success
Marissa Mann, M.S. '22, Became the Youngest SLP Graduate in SHSP Program History
When it came to choosing the right speech-language pathology (SLP) program, Marissa Mann, M.S. ’22, was interested in schools that emphasized a medically oriented curriculum. She also longed for a diverse externship experience that offered opportunities to work in a variety of environments. Her search led her to graduate from New York Medical College (NYMC) at 20 years old, the youngest of SLP graduates.
“My time in the SLP program at NYMC was a time of exponential growth,” said Mann.
She became the president of the NYMC chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. Though time-consuming, she says her extracurricular involvement was the highlight of her time at NYMC because it provided networking opportunities and allowed her to forge connections with faculty members, clinical supervisors and fellow classmates.
“My professors taught me the foundations,” she said. “My clinical supervisors taught me the reality of therapy and how to build my clinical voice.”
Mann also credits her clinical experience for opening her eyes to the impact speech therapy can have on a person. She said that the feeling of helping a patient achieve their goals inspired her to keep pushing her own limits as a student.
Through a scholarship agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Mann was able to work for the DOE while pursuing her master’s degree. She completed multiple externships in different public schools, learned how to work with school-aged children and developed the professional skills needed to thrive in her current role.
Mann is now a speech-language pathologist for the New York City Department of Education-District 8 located in the Bronx. During an interview with NYMC in May 2022, Mann expressed her desire to work with children on the autism spectrum upon graduating. Mann’s dream came to fruition. She now has a promising career in a field she is passionate about and is one of the many success stories coming out of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at NYMC.
“Without NYMC, I don’t know if I would have the confidence as a clinician that I have now.”
