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By Kate Hunger

Speech-language pathology student Leslie Lewis loves to be a part of the moments that matter in life, something her future profession will allow her to do regularly.

“I have always loved language so much, and I love the field of speech-language pathology,” she said. “If you think of the areas where people really derive their quality of life, it’s eating and communicating with loved ones and coworkers. The idea that we get to be a part of someone’s life in that area is really special to me,” said Lewis, who is president of the campus chapter of the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA).
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Lewis was one of about 35 students in the campus NSSLHA chapter who raised almost $2,300 for the ALS Association to support people with ALS and their caregivers. Participating students raised the money through a social media campaign, and about 20 students participated in three socially distanced, two-mile walks held Nov. 14 in San Antonio, the Dallas-Fort Worth area and McAllen. Because classes are online, some of the participants in the fundraiser are currently living in other cities or even states, Lewis said.

“It was really touching to see we can count on these people in our community overall to support us, patients with ALS and their loved ones,” she said.

When people with ALS have bulbar onset, they typically experience initial symptoms that affect swallowing and communication.

“As future speech-language pathologists, we are perfectly positioned to help with this condition because we specialize in swallowing and communication disorders,” Lewis said.