Hi, Hounds! This week on Highlighting Hounds, we are featuring Lindsey Kuniewich ’25. Lindsey has made a lasting impact on the Assumption University community through her deep commitment to service, leadership, and academic excellence. As a Career Center Assistant and Admissions Ambassador, Lindsey supported her peers’ professional growth while warmly welcoming prospective students and families. Her involvement extends to the Academic Integrity Committee, the ASPIRE Program, and Tau Upsilon Alpha, where she served as co-president. Lindsey’s academic journey, centered around Human Services and Communication Sciences & Disorders, has been enriched by her participation in research projects addressing global health disparities, including a recent presentation on maternal mortality. Read more to learn how Lindsey, with aspirations to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist and future researcher, carried forward the skills, empathy, and drive she cultivated at Assumption into the next chapter of her academic career.
Briefly describe your academic and extracurricular involvement during your time at Assumption.
At Assumption, I’ve worked as a Career Center Assistant in the CDIC and an Admissions Ambassador. I’m also a member of the Academic Integrity Committee and co-president of the Human Services honor society, Tau Upsilon Alpha. I’ve conducted four research projects with Dr. Cinzia Pica and attended and presented a project at the National Organization for Human Services Conference in November with some members of the Department of Health and Human Services. As a Human Services major, I’m currently wrapping up an internship in the Berlin-Boylston Regional School District, where I worked in a 2nd grade classroom and spent time observing the speech-language pathologist at one of the elementary schools. After graduation, I will be attending UConn for a master’s degree in speech-language pathology while working as a graduate assistant for the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. My ultimate goal is to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist.
What are your career goals? How will your experiences help you reach those goals?
I hope to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist and eventually conduct research in
the field of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. My concentration in Communication
Sciences & Disorders has provided me with a foundational understanding of human
communication and its mechanisms, while the Human Services major has offered an
interdisciplinary education dedicated to the ethical and empathetic care of others (to improve
their well-being). My extracurricular activities have further enhanced my communication skills
and reinforced my passion for helping and building connections with others.
Can you describe one of the research projects you conducted with Dr. Pica and what you
learned from that experience?
Recently, I presented my project “Factors Contributing to Higher Maternal Mortality: A
Cross-Country Comparison” at the 2025 Assumption University Undergraduate Symposium. This
project was based on a literature review and focused on examining factors contributing to a
higher maternal mortality rate in the US compared to Italy and Sweden. I highlighted three
factors: healthcare access, quality of reproductive healthcare, and gender equality. As an
industrialized nation, I wondered why the US has a significantly higher maternal mortality rate
when compared to other developed countries. Even though this wasn’t my first research
project, I learned about healthcare issues in a global context while continuing to build upon my
research skills and interest in examining disparities in health and human services.
What did your role as a Career Development and Internship Center Assistant teach you about
communication, organization, or supporting others in professional development?
My role as a Career Development and Internship Center Assistant taught me that effective
communication is essential to professional development. Whether it’s interacting with
employers or co-workers, we must make the effort to maintain consistent and effective
communication. This type of communication is the foundation for professional interpersonal
relationships. I also learned that everyone has unique professional goals requiring different
approaches. Even people with the same major have different career goals, meaning that
supporting others in their professional development is a personal interaction that considers a
person’s unique strengths and motivators.
What skills have you gained through presenting at a national conference, and how do you see
those applying to your graduate work?
Presenting at the 2024 National Organization for Human Services Conference helped strengthen
my presentation skills and build my confidence. As an undergraduate student, it was a bit
intimidating to present my project to seasoned human services professionals, so I prepared a
lot. Thankfully, I received positive feedback about my project, and I think that was a testament
to my ability to present on my topic. I’ve been told that I should be prepared to give more
presentations in graduate school, so I think my conference experience helped me understand
effective presentation and communication skills. I’m also very interested in pursuing research in
the future and know this goal comes with even more presentation opportunities.
As an Admissions Ambassador, how did you communicate Assumption’s values to prospective
students and families?
As an Admissions Ambassador, I wanted to communicate Assumption’s values through both my
words and actions. I remember touring colleges during high school and wanting my interactions
on campuses to feel authentic. As cliche as it may sound, I believe actions speak louder than
words. While verbal communication is important, I also want my actions to represent
Assumption’s values of compassionate service and critical thinking. This means thoughtfully
engaging with prospective students and their families, answering their questions/concerns, and
simply understanding where they are in their personal journey. Students and their families may
not remember every single fun fact I share about the campus, but I hope they remember the
positive interactions I had with them.
How did your internship in the Berlin-Boylston School District influence your decision to
pursue speech-language pathology, specifically with pediatric populations?
I knew I wanted to pursue speech-language pathology before starting my internship, but this
experience solidified my goal. During my internship, I was able to observe a wonderful
speech-language pathologist at one of the elementary schools who truly exemplified the type of
compassionate and ethical services I hope to provide. I loved watching students reach their
communication goals and seeing this SLP’s impact. My internship also involved working in a
second-grade classroom, where I built strong connections with students. Building these
relationships was such a powerful experience and solidified my excitement for working with
pediatric populations. It was such a privilege to be trusted by students and to have the
opportunity to support them as they grow. These students also probably helped teach me just
as much as I did them. As an aspiring pediatric SLP, I hope to have a positive impact on the
children I work with while allowing myself to learn from them as well.
How has your background in Women’s Studies shaped your approach to human services and
speech-language pathology?
My background in Women’s Studies has shaped my approach to human services and
speech-language pathology by teaching me to look at people’s intersectional identities when
working with them. People are complex and have multifaceted, intertwined identities that
shape their social and cultural experiences. Working with and learning from Dr. Pica, the
Women’s Studies Program Director, also revealed my passion for examining issues of equity in
health and human services. I plan to carry this understanding into my future career to advocate
for high-quality, equitable healthcare while acknowledging and addressing the lived experiences
of the clients I work with.
As co-president of Tau Upsilon Alpha, what initiatives or projects were you most proud to
lead?
I was proud to help plan an event this past fall, highlighting substance use disorder recovery
with Professors Mark Leary and Erica Gagne serving as speakers. Both professors had their own
unique perspectives on this topic and engaged in an informative conversation based on mutual
respect for one another’s experiences. It was great to bring members of the Assumption
community together for a conversation on such an important topic and to see other students
willing to learn more about human services outside the classroom.
What drew you to UConn’s speech-language pathology program, and how does it align with
your professional goals?
I was drawn to UConn’s speech-language pathology program because of the various
opportunities it offered. As of right now, I’m interested in pediatric medical speech-language
pathology, and UConn provides the possibility of a clinical practicum at Connecticut Children’s
Medical Center. I also value the department’s commitment to fostering inclusive and supportive
environments (which aligns with my Human Services and Women’s Studies backgrounds). I
wanted a program that could prepare me to work with diverse clients while fostering
continuous learning and self-reflection. Additionally, I was offered a graduate assistantship with
the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, which I hope will further my
professional development and deepen my enthusiasm for the field beyond the classroom and
clinical settings.
What are your key takeaways from your experience?
One of the biggest takeaways from my experience is to take chances and find your support
system — those people (whoever they may be) will be some of your biggest cheerleaders.
Assumption has provided a safe and supportive setting to try new things. Whether it was
celebrating my successes or helping me pivot when plans changed, I always felt that people
were looking out for me and willing to offer help when I needed it.
How do you plan to carry the skills and lessons you’ve learned at Assumption into your future
career or academic goals?
One of the best things I learned at Assumption was the importance of supporting and serving
others. I’ve had many people support me during my time at Assumption, and I’ve been deeply
impacted by this. I always want to remember those who have helped me and carry this level of
compassion and care into my future career. Whether it’s providing services to clients as an SLP
or conducting research, I want my work to be grounded in a commitment to aiding others.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your leadership roles, or
any lessons you wish you had learned sooner?
Honestly, I wish I had gotten involved on campus sooner. I was pretty shy when I first began at
Assumption and nervous about trying new things. I was prepared to simply focus on getting my
degree and moving on to the next stage of my life. Along the way, I realized that this was the
perfect time to try different things, so I started working in the CDIC, which led me to take a
chance by applying to work for the summer in Admissions. I’d say working in Admissions really
brought me out of my shell and, as I met more people, I became more engaged in the
Assumption community and truly began embracing what this school has to offer.
If you are interested in being featured on Highlighting Hounds or know of any students who would be a strong candidate, please email us at careerdevelopment@assumption.edu!
