My favorite part of being an audiologist is working with a great number of patients and getting the opportunity to know each person individually. I really enjoy the people I meet and work with. By focusing on truly listening to what my patients have to say, I can better understand their concerns and what is most important to them.

I have been working as an audiologist for over 21 years. I was born and raised in Little Chute, Wisconsin, and when I was in the eighth grade, my father fell from a scaffolding and was in the hospital for a few weeks with a head injury. During his stay, I was able to sit in on his visits from his speech therapist. I found those visits very intriguing. When I went off to college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I intended on becoming a speech therapist. After earning my bachelor’s degree, I had to decide where I would do my post-graduate work. I was not sure speech therapy was my path. I had graduated a semester early, and UW-Madison did not allow me to start its graduate program until the following December. I decided that since I had a semester to wait, I would apply to UW-Oshkosh and investigate its graduate program for audiology. After the first week, I was hooked and never looked back. I knew audiology was it for me.

On a personal note, I have twin boys who are in their senior year of high school. When they allow it, I love spending time with them and watching them grow into young men. It is amazing to me how different two boys can be, and yet I love them both so much.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Science, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
• Doctor of Audiology, A.T. Still University

Professional Memberships

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• American Academy of Audiology
• Wisconsin Speech-Language-Hearing Association