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Traci Underwood

Traci Underwood

I chose my major because … I wanted to not only make a difference in children’s lives but also see the improvement. I thought about nursing and teaching, and speech pathology fell between the two. It allows me to teach children how to speak properly, and it also involves biology, so I will have the ability to diagnose speech disorders.

My favorite professor at NIU is … Dr. Morris because she has been an excellent teacher and challenges us on our coursework. Her lectures involve class participation and activities that have helped me understand and enjoy learning about phonetics and speech.

My favorite thing to do on campus is … meet new people. I love to meet people from different backgrounds and majors. The more people I meet, the more I feel like I am a part of the campus.

Outside of the classroom, my favorite thing at NIU that really enhances my experience here is … the Honors Program. I have met my best friends through the Honors Program, so I am so happy to be a part of it. It has been a great way to meet new people and try new things. I also enjoy all of the activities and trips because I have been exposed to so many new experiences.

When I have free time, I like to … read, listen to music and spend time with my friends. We love to watch movies or just talk after a long week of classes. We go on vacations together, or just go into Chicago for the weekend.

One thing I wish I knew about actual college life before I got here is … the variety of cultures. I grew up in a small rural town, so I was not exposed to many cultures. Most students from my high school had fairly similar backgrounds, and coming here was a pretty big shock.

One positive thing I have learned about myself since coming to NIU is … that I have become more outgoing. In high school I was pretty shy, but since coming to college I have gotten over that and now I love to meet new people and make new friends.

If I was guaranteed success, I would … write a best-selling book. I have always loved to read and write creative stories. I would love to write some kind of a suspenseful book like the ones written by James Patterson or Mary Higgins Clark.

After graduation, I plan to … become a speech pathologist either in a school or hospital and work with little children. I would love to work in a small town like the one I grew up in and one day have a family of my own.

The one NIU experience I will always remember will be … my first week living on my own during my freshman year. I will never forget how exciting it was to finally be on my own and make all of my own decisions. That first week, I made new friends, attended my first college classes and felt like I was finally an adult.