Once a Horned Frog, always a Horned Frog! Communication Sciences & Disorders at TCU wants to hear from our alumni. Staying in touch with you is essential to our growth as a department, college, and profession. In addition to allowing you to find out where your past classmates and current colleagues are, we can make you aware of educational and continuing education opportunities for your own professional growth. Future plans also include a TCU COSD Alumni Organization. We are beginning the process of putting together an alumni master list you can help us by contributing your information and we will help you by keeping you up to date with your classmates, colleagues, and the progress of COSD at TCU.
Contribute your information below so that you can stay in the loop with your fellow COSD horned frogs. And check back with these pages for continuing education opportunities.
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Alumni Spotlights
Lora Katkic
TCU Graduate Class of 2004
TCU Undergraduate Class of 2002
Degree: Speech-Language Pathology
Current Position: Speech-Language Pathologist with the TALK program in Keller ISD
What do you remember most about teh SLP program?
Looking back on my time spent at TCU, I will always remember the passion my professors had for our profession. Throughout their lectures and work in the clinic, they all exhibited such love for and dedication to their job. They served as positive role models in the clinic and excellent leaders in our profession. By their example, they showed us the importance of being educated on current professional issues and being involved in our professional organizations, such as NSSLHA, TSHA, and ASHA. Their involvement in these organizations encouraged my classmates & I to also become involved. We made annual trips to the TSHA and ASHA conventions, participated in NSSLHA game nights, and hosted NSSLHA Halloween parties. Our professors' strong commitment to our profession instilled enthusiasm in us and encouraged us to become the best speech-language pathologists we could be. Their excitement for our profession has stayed with me even after graduation, leaving a lasting impact on me & my career.
What was your favorite memory of TCU?
My favorite memory of TCU is traveling to London in the summer of 2002 with the Speech-Language Pathology program. During our 3-week long stay, we visited the Royal College of Speech Therapists, the City University, Great Ormond Street Hospital, an Oxford Dysfluency conference, the Michael Palin Stammering Centre and many tourist attractions including the Tower of London, the Globe Theater, Stonehenge and Westminster Abbey. Not only did we learn about differences in the profession of speech-language pathology in England versus the United States, but we were also able to experience first-hand many cultural, pragmatic, and semantic differences. We stayed in a flat rather than an apartment, learned to queue rather than stand in line, to mind the gap, and to ask for ice in our drinks. Traveling to London was such an amazing experience that I will never forget!
Where are you currently working / what are you doing now?
I currently work with the TALK program in Keller ISD. The TALK program (Teaching Articulation and Language to Kids) services preschoolers who exhibit disorders in the areas of articulation, phonology, and expressive language. From 2004-2009, I also served as co-chair for TSHA’s Student Interest Committee.
Mandy Sherlock
TCU Class of 2000
Degree: Habilitation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Current Position: Working for Nonprofit Agency
What do you remember about the SLP/Deaf Hab program?
I remember Mrs. G, Mrs. Matney, Dr. McCaffrey and all my classes in Deaf Hab. I especially remember my experience in the clinic working one-on-one with deaf students and student teaching where I learned so much about the value of tailoring my instruction to meet the needs of each individual deaf student. In my ASL 2 class we were assigned "homework" to go out on the town with a classmate but we couldn't use voices, only sign language. That made a huge impression on me. One random memory is getting an ear mold made in one of my hearing science classes...and I actually used it to check hearing aids when I was a teacher!
What was your favorite memory of TCU?
I have so many favorite memories of TCU! Midnight breakfast in the Main before Christmas, dancing with the Showgirls at half time during basketball games and playing in the snow my freshman year.
Where you are currently working/what you are doing?
Immediately following graduation from TCU, I started working for the Los Angeles Unified School District at a middle school teaching science to deaf and hard of hearing students (special day class). Then I transitioned to higher education at Cal State Northridge's National Center on Deafness as a career counselor to the deaf and hard of hearing college students. Later I became a training specialist where I developed materials and provided training to post secondary institutions on how to successfully communicate and accomodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Most recently I was a sign language interpreter at Cal State Northridge and a high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Currently I'm working for a nonprofit and "taking a break" from my career in the Deaf Community.
> More about Mandy Sherlock
Dr. Courtney Zackheim Byrd
TCU Class of 1999
Degree: Habilitation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Current Position: Assistant Professor -University of Texas at Austin
What do you remember about the SLP/Deaf Hab program?
I remember how accepting each faculty member was of students as individuals. In hindsight I recognize that the faculty worked hard to meet each student's individual needs so that everyone who participates in the program is able to exceed their full potential.
What was your favorite memory of TCU?
Selecting a favorite memory of TCU is difficult but one in particular that stands out in terms of where I am today was the opportunity to share a research project with the faculty and students. The support that I received prior to, during and after that presentation significantly contributed to me thinking that I might be cabable of pursuing a research career.
Where you are currently working/what you are doing?
I am an assistant professor at The University of Texas at Austin. I am also the director of the Austin Center for Stuttering Intervention and Research.
> More about Courtney Byrd
Jeni Figiel
TCU Class of 1993
Degree: Habilitation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Current Position: Creator of DayWithYou.com - DVD series
What do you remember about the SLP/Deaf Hab program at TCU?
The program was relatively small. In 1993, there were 3 of us graduating with the Deaf Hab Major.
The professors had high expectations and demanded excellence from us. The passion and competence of the professors was impressive. The standards were set high—either you made it or you didn't. The program was concise in it's objectives and gave a level of preparedness that was well respected and received as professionals. Our educational background from TCU was recognized and appreciated.
What was your favorite memory of TCU?
This questions makes me laugh because I have a million great memories. The campus has changed it appearance so much—I'm pretty much "old school" now. Probably best to leave those stories behind. You a had to be there to "get it" anyway.
No, wait...I do have an indelible moment...It was right after teaching a lesson to a 3rd grade class, self contained-hearing impaired. The lesson was in History, I had barely finished my second semester of siGn and this lesson was going to be observed and graded by Mrs. Gonzales. It was a miserable lesson. As a matter of fact, I think it must have been down right painful for everyone involved. I think Mrs. Gonzalez only stopped writing notes because she ran out of ink or wanted to ward off the potential of carpal tunnel syndrome. There we were, kids gone—just she and I. I wanted to run and cry, but I sat down anyway to hear a review of my performance. Both sitting in chairs, that are too small and short, she looks at me and says, "Well, how'd you think that went?" Thank God I got the chance to laugh before I cried.
> More about Jeni Figiel
Lynita Yarbrough, M.S., CCC-SLP
TCU Class of 1996
Degree: Speech Language Pathology
Current Position: FWISD Bilingual SLP, Children's Medical Center Bilingual SLP, staff trainer at Head Start of Tarrant County, and serve on TSHA's Multicultural Task Force
Where you are currently working/what you are doing?
I currently work for Fort Worth ISD two-and-a-half days per week, at Cook Children's Medical Center one day per week and with Head Start of Tarrant County as a staff trainer one to two days per month. I am "on call" with other small districts in the area.
What is your favorite thing about what you do?
There is never a dull moment in speech/language pathology. I get to experience the spectrum of communication disorders with a variety of populations in various settings. These experiences ensure that I continue to learn as I contribute. It is extremely rewarding to impact the lives of children and their families and to love every minute of it.
> More about Lynita Yarbrough
Wilma Jean Tade
TCU Graduate
Degree: Speech Language Pathology
Current Position: Retired
How was my experience working at TCU?
I considered my time working at TCU as almost a time of recreation. I loved each moment of every day. How wonderful to get paid for something I would have almost done for free!
What was my biggest contribution to our field so far?
Some of the residents here at Trinity Terrace have told me that I changed the lives of their grandchildren with whom I worked. I hope I contributed to the lives of the many children with whom I had contact, and I hope I helped inspire a love for the field in the SLP majors at the Miller Clinic at TCU.
> More about Wilma Jean Tade
