Other Side of the Classroom: From Foreign Language Teacher to SLP Student
A Multilingual Enthusiast, First-Year Student Stephanie Cabrera Finds Her Way Back to School to Become a Speech-Language Pathologist
Stephanie Cabrera, SLP Class of 2026, always had a natural aptitude for languages. By 11 years old, she was fluent in her second language, Spanish, alongside her first language, English. Now, she takes pride in being trilingual, adding French to her repertoire. Her linguistic abilities led her to become a legal interpreter and foreign language teacher. Now, Cabrera finds herself back in the classroom, as a student, at New York Medical College (NYMC) starting her career in speech-language pathology (SLP).
Cabrera’s interests range from law to teaching, including experience working in the district attorney’s office using her language skills as an interpreter, and several years of teaching English, math, Spanish, and living environment. Working with attorneys amid diagnosis, research, and investigations, as well as her time teaching and engaging with children, led her to appreciate the critical importance of SLPs in these settings. “I want to help kids have a voice,” says Cabrera.
In addition to her professional pursuits, Cabrera has a strong passion for writing. She was 17 years old when she began publishing articles at her first job at the Holocaust Museum. She cherishes her grandfather's insight that writing is not only self-expression, but also one of the most effective therapies for the soul. Cabrera goes by the pseudonym, Ava Spraggings, and authored the book Aurora’s Arch, which was reviewed by The New York Times. She spent a decade writing the book, a short story-poem focused on how human experiences shape the world through a woman’s lens. Inspired by her grandfather and uncle, both published authors, Cabrera's career pursuit shifted as she witnessed their health complications. Cabrera watched the SLPs assist her grandmother in her ability to speak Spanish again after a traumatic brain injury for three months, which left a lasting impression on her.
Now, a SLP student at NYMC, Cabrera is eager to delve into anatomy lab and research, with a focus on traumatic brain injury and bilingualism in speech. In the future, Cabrera hopes to work at a rehabilitation center or at a private clinical practice, where she can apply her expertise to help patients recover communication skills.
“I'm very excited to see what patients I'll be working with, and how I can use my knowledge of teaching in a classroom setting,” said Cabrera. “I’m grateful that I was able to find a way to combine all my passions together at NYMC.”
