3.1 Introduction to Devin Lukachik

All students hope for financial security in their future careers, but when many high-paying jobs involve sitting at a desk all day, they are hardly likely to feel exciting or meaningful. For those looking for financial security as well as an interesting, fulfilling job where they can make a true difference in the world, the healthcare field can be a promising career choice. After all, what better way to make an impact than by saving lives, helping someone recover from an accident, or improving someone’s quality of life?

While most people recognize that Spanish can be useful in healthcare, few are aware of the unique and rewarding path of Speech-Language Pathology, with numerous career opportunities in both clinical and educational settings. In this chapter, we meet Devin Lukachik, a former Spanish major who went on to get his Masters in Speech-Language Pathology. We’ll learn what he does in a typical day, how he uses Spanish, and how you could follow in his footsteps if you see yourself as a future Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). First, let’s meet Devin.

Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your job?

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Transcript: “So I’m Devin Lukachik–I graduated with my Bachelors in Spanish from UTSA and I’m now working on my Masters in Speech Language Pathology at the UT Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, so I’m undergoing some of my clinical experience, working at different sites, and in speech pathology, it’s kind of a broad career, in which we can treat individuals with impairments to speech, language, cognition, swallowing, voice, and a plethora of other things.”

As Devin will tell us in the following sections, being a speech language pathologist opens a world of possibilities to students interested in combing linguistics and medicine. Let’s learn more!