Kintz to attend graduate program in speech-language pathology next fall

Jane Kintz, a linguistics major graduating this year, has been accepted to the MS program in speech-language pathology at San José State University and plans on attending in the fall. The WHASC Editor sat down with Jane after the good news to talk about her experience at UC Santa Cruz and her future career.

WHASC Editor: How did you decide to go into speech pathology?

Kintz: I’ve had a passion for languages for many years. While I was living in South Korea studying Korean, I was teaching English to young children and older adults. I realized during that time that although I loved studying languages, I felt most fulfilled sitting with people and helping them develop their ability to communicate and ultimately leaving a lasting impact on people’s lives. Speech pathology is this beautiful area where you use your linguistic knowledge to help improve the quality of people’s lives.

WHASC Editor: How do you think the Linguistics major prepared you for applying and getting accepted to the MS program at SJSU?

Kintz: Being a linguistics major prepared me in a lot of ways. The emphasis on development of critical thinking skills and writing clear analytical essays prepared me for the heavy writing portion of the application process. These skills helped me write a clear, concise and compelling personal statement, which is of major consideration for the program. Also, the content in linguistics classes have direct application to the program. This gives me an interdisciplinary advantage that allows me to bring different perspectives to the program, which I believe helped me get accepted.

WHASC Editor: Do you have a favorite linguistics class? What was it and why?

Kintz: It’s a tie between Phonology 2 and Phonetics 2. I loved Phonology because it almost felt like solving puzzles. And I loved Phonetics because I really enjoyed analyzing spectrograms and learning about sound production.

WHASC Editor: What will you miss most about UCSC?

Kintz: The redwoods for sure. But truly the entire linguistics department, faculty and students. To be in a program with professors and students who are both passionate about the field and deeply curious has been such a gift. I am so grateful for my time here, and UCSC will always hold a special place in my heart.

Best of luck in your future pursuits, Jane!