Lauren Lustek
M.S. CCC-SLP
I began my Spanish journey in middle school, and little did I know that putting in the work to become bilingual would open my world up to so many rich experiences: new friendships, a deeper understanding of cultures outside my own, the ability to travel confidently in Spanish-speaking countries, and increased job opportunities.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I continued Spanish courses alongside my other major, aspiring to become a bilingual speech-language pathologist. Each year I fell more in love with Spanish, exploring themes in short stories from across Central and South America or comparing dialects in a Spanish phonetics course.
After graduating, I spent half a year in Costa Rica before starting my masters degree. I lived with two amazing host families who taught me many of the nuances of Costa Rican Spanish. I felt so lucky to experience the daily life there connecting with others in their native language.
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During graduate school at UW-Madison, I completed a practicum with a bilingual speech-language pathologist. I used my Spanish skills to complete language evaluations, provide bilingual therapy, and connect with students and their families. I worked part-time as a bilingual transcriber for Systematic Analysis of Language Transcription (SALT), using my knowledge of Spanish grammar to transcribe and code language samples of bilingual children.
Since fall 2020, I have worked as a bilingual speech-language pathologist – two years with the Madison Metropolitan School District, and during the '22-'23 school year I began to work virtually with 6th grade students at a New Mexico school district. I support my students, many primarily in Spanish, to understand academic language presented in their classes and to communicate effectively.
I have also thoroughly enjoyed worked for a tutoring company based in Madison, WI since 2021, supporting middle and high school students in classes from Spanish 1 to AP Spanish. I have realized that my unique background as a language specialist allows me to easily tailor each session to the needs of my students. I am very methodical about the topics we discuss and the type of support I provide throughout the session to allow for maximal progress. My favorite moments are when complex Spanish grammar concepts ‘click’ for students and seeing their confidence grow!