It was a pleasure to catch up with Jessica Lugo, one of our recent graduates. She filled us in on the journey which led to her current position as SLHS Child Learning Center Director, “I grew up in Austin, Texas, earned my BA in Communication Science & Disorders from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008, then graduated from CU with an MA in Speech-Language Pathology in 2010. I completed my Clinical Fellowship at an early intervention preschool in Philadelphia, and then moved back to Denver and worked for Sewall Child Development Center on the Head Start Team. I like to see new places!” (Photo right, Jessica hiking in Iceland)

While in graduate school, Jessica mentioned she most enjoyed working with children who are toddler/preschool age, adding, “I still do! I enjoy working in the classroom setting and being a part of teams with parents, teachers, occupational/physical therapists, early childhood special educators, and others. I loved being in the CLC and am so thrilled to be back and working with Amy Thrasher and the CLC team again. I am most excited that special education services at the preschool level are becoming family-friendly and accessible. Many parents I have worked with were in special education when they were younger and did not have positive experiences; now, their children are having a different experience as services become more inclusive and IEPs are created with more parent input. I hope to continue to work with teachers and families of children in preschool. I hope to be able to participate in teacher-education/support programs to help make implementation of IEP goals and strategies more feasible given the many demands put on teachers and specialists these days. Another goal of mine is to live abroad and practice speech-language pathology in another country.”

Jessica shared warm remembrances from her SLHS graduate school days, “One of my favorite memories was from the SLHS holiday party at Gail Ramsberger’s house; everyone was very dressed up – except for one of my classmates who wore red and white footy pajamas and reindeer ears! I feel fortunate to have been a part of a group of students who were very smart and dedicated but also knew how to let loose and get a little silly. That helped us balance out the stress of graduate school. Forming close friendships with my classmates was one of the best aspects of CU’s program as it brings together a group of very intelligent, caring, and fun-loving people. I was the maid-of-honor at one of my classmates’ wedding and I swim weekly with another classmate. (Photo left includes fellow CU grads Allison (Birks) Portillo and Kaitlyn Commiskey, Jessica in middle.) 

Jessica enjoys biking around Denver and exploring the city, as well as getting to the mountains for camping, mentioning that her favorite place in Colorado is Great Sand Dunes National Park, “ I like to swim in the big outdoor pool at Congress Park and read books. I also love to travel; I just got back from Iceland!” Like many of our alumni, Jessica leads an active, productive life, one we can point to with pride. 

Check out the CLC website and if you ever come to re-visit SLHS, stop by and say hi to Jessica and all of the folks in the CLC! (Photo right: Jessica with fellow CU grad Allison (Birks) Portillo at Great Sand Dunes National Park.)