Helping others
Meet the 2024-25 President’s Ambassadors
Gracie Christensen
Speech-language pathology and audiology
Alger, Oho
Graduation year: 2027
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE BLUFFTON?
I chose Bluffton because it is a small campus that wasn’t too far from my hometown and appealed to me coming from a senior class of only 30 students. I also thought it was a beautiful campus, and the people here seemed very welcoming.
The most important reason why I chose Bluffton is because they offered my major, which not a lot of schools do. I also really liked the professor [Tina Juarez]. After my tour, my mom said that she knew I belonged here.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR MAJOR? WHAT’S MOST EXCITING ABOUT YOUR CLASSES?
I chose speech-language pathology and audiology because I liked how it involved both educational and medical components. Most of my senior year I thought that I was going to be a nursing major, because I love helping others, as cliche as that sounds. Something told me that nursing wasn’t right for me, and that's when I found speech pathology.
Speech pathology gives me a flexible schedule and gives me the option of working in a school or at a medical facility. As of right now, I want to treat children, and if I can just help one child articulate their ‘Rs’ properly then I will be happy.
The most exciting part of my classes is hearing my speech professors’ personal stories of her time as a speech therapist because they give a snapshot of what my future is going to look like. It is also exciting when I get to go to preschools and collect language samples.
TELL US ABOUT BLUFFTON’S FACULTY. ARE THEY HELPING YOU REACH YOUR GOALS?
Faculty members here at Bluffton are very helpful. They are always there if you need advice, and they love answering questions. Their main goal is to make sure that we understand the content, so if they have to take a little extra time explaining a concept they will.
All the professors I have had so far always check up on us and ask about our personal lives. They want to get to know us. Anytime I see any of the faculty members on campus they will have a smile on their face.
WHAT STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS ARE YOU PART OF? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE ACTIVE
ON CAMPUS?
I am a part of Delight Ministries, National Student Speech Language Hearing Association [NSSLHA], Social Work Club, and I am a President’s Ambassador.
It is important for me to be active on campus because I enjoy being involved, and I like to stay busy. All of the organizations have helped me make friends and come out of my comfort zone. These organizations contribute a lot to the campus and the community.