Spotlight on Miss Maggie!
Our Spotlight Staff SSTAR!

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Congratulations to Speech-Language Pathologist, Maggie Foley, CCC-SLP, for being selected as our first Staff SSTar of 2022! According to SST President, Melanie Shultz, “Maggie is the perfect candidate for this type of recognition! Maggie is a tremendously talented therapist with the work ethic to match! She is a reliable and valued member of the SST Team.” Miss Maggie joined SST last fall and quickly integrated herself into all aspects of the practice. Speech Therapy Department Head, Mona Mehta, states “Maggie was given a wide variety of placements and she excelled at each one. I was immediately impressed with her enthusiasm to learn and her professionalism.” Furthermore, Mona Mehta also served as Miss Maggie’s Clinical Fellowship advisor. “It was such a privilege to watch Maggie grow throughout her clinical fellowship year. She is an eager student who is always prepared. She asks great questions and is always looking for ways to become a better therapist. I couldn’t be more pleased to guide her during her first year and continue to work with her as she further hones her skills. Well done, Maggie!”

Miss Maggie is a true Buckeye, through and through! Born and raised in nearby Grove City, Miss Maggie comes from a large, close-knit, family of ten. Number three in the pecking order, Miss Maggie has six brothers and one sister. (Wow… her and her sister sure are outnumbered!) Despite the unfair male advantage in the Foley household, Miss Maggie has nothing but fond memories of growing up in a large family. “Our house was always a lot of fun and I was never without someone to play with!” For example, Miss Maggie recalls the one time her and her siblings turned a baby mattress into a sled and took it down the staircase! “We had to make sure no one told mom if there were any injuries. Looking back on that now, it probably wasn’t the best idea! But we had great time!” When it was time to select a college, Miss Maggie naturally chose The Ohio State University to begin her studies. Inspired by her youngest brother, Kevin, Miss Maggie chose to begin her college career as a Health Sciences major. “My brother has Apert Syndrome, which is a cranial-facial disorder. Having a brother with special needs really brought our family even closer together. We are all there to support him through his surgeries and try to help in any way we can. I knew I wanted to choose a career path that would allow me to support others with special needs as well.” During her second year at OSU, Miss Maggie took a Language Development course. After that, she knew the direction her career path was meant to go. Miss Maggie went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences with a minor in Linguistics.

For graduate school, Miss Maggie chose to continue her studies at The Ohio State University. According to Miss Maggie, she envisioned her career in Speech Language Pathology working with the adult population. However, during one of her placements at OSU, Miss Maggie had the opportunity to be placed in an elementary school setting. “Working with those kids really changed my career trajectory. I enjoyed that placement so much and knew I found a place where I could really make a difference. I remember crying on my last day saying goodbye to those amazing kids.” Graduate school, however, would take a very unexpected turn for Miss Maggie. “COVID-19 hit during my last semester of school, which definitely made things a bit tricky. Luckily, I had already completed all my required hours and coursework, so I was still able to graduate. Just with no ceremony.” Miss Maggie was also forced to navigate the work force in these new and uncertain times. “I remember doing a lot of zoom interviews, but no one was hiring during the pandemic.” Luckily for SST, Miss Maggie never gave up and, in the fall of 2020, Miss Maggie had her final zoom job interview with Melanie Shultz and Mona Mehta.

Miss Maggie started with SST in October of 2020. Since that time, she has been placed in a variety of school placements and in the clinic setting. Miss Maggie feels she has ”learned so much during her first year at SST. I was exposed to a variety of different schools and had to figure out what was required at each placement. I also had to learn how to not only navigate a teletherapy session, but also make them as productive as in-person therapy. I have also really enjoyed being in the clinic. I like having the ability to build a relationship with both the child and the parent. Also, my clinic kids always say the funniest things. We are always laughing!” One constant throughout her first year at SST was the guidance and support she received from her CFY advisor, Mona Mehta. “I was so lucky to have Mona as both my supervisor and CFY advisor. She was so supportive and organized. She was always available to help me, every step of the way.”

When not at SST, Miss Maggie enjoys a variety of activities, such as reading, hiking, and cooking. “I make a lot of vegetable curry and soups!” (Not sure why she hasn’t brought some of these in for the clinic to taste test yet, but we will work on her!) Miss Maggie also enjoys spending time with her family. “All of my siblings are still in Ohio, so it is nice when we can hang out.” Miss Maggie is hopeful they can all vacation together in 2022! (Fingers crossed!) In the meantime, Miss Maggie is content to keep “working and improving my skills so I can better serve the kids I am lucky enough to see each week.”

It is sentiments like that which truly show us why Miss Maggie is such a wonderful SSTar!

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Congratulations Miss Maggie and THANK YOU for being such an AMAZING part of the SST Team!

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