Sometimes it takes an individual with varied life experiences to see the bigger picture and shape the future.
Washington State University Speech and Hearing Sciences alum Karyn Driscoll-Teague has, in many ways, “done it all.” And in doing so, driven untold change.
Driscoll-Teague graduated in 1979 with a degree in Communications Disorders, now known as Speech and Hearing Sciences (SHS). Initially a Spanish major, she discovered her passion for language science in a phonetics course, which led her to SHS.
With that degree change, she launched a dynamic career that spanned elementary schools to higher education, hospitals to skilled nursing facilities and private practice. She also ran Spokane’s Scottish Rite Center for Childhood Language Disorders and served on the Washington Speech-Language-Hearing Association board, where she helped shape early certification discussions and the future of speech-language pathology (SLP).
“I love my field because I could practice in so many settings,” Driscoll-Teague said. “WSU gave me a good basis for being able to learn along the way. I was able to do a diverse work career with many leadership roles.”
Today, Driscoll-Teague and her husband Gary, also a Coug alum, continue to shape communication care in Washington through their partnership with WSU Foundation and Speech and Hearing Sciences.
“I still want to help the community,” she said. “Being able to give both time and money is helping—it can help the whole world.”
Her philanthropic giving to the college’s scholarship fund is changing the world one voice at a time by helping train new SLPs. Driscoll-Teague also hopes to inspire future SLPs to embrace a life of learning across a variety of experiences. Her advice to students: Be open to trying things and to continue learning, even once you’re out of school. Embrace new situations and go outside your comfort level.
She also urges them to spread their love of speech-language pathology so that they, too, can shape the future.
“People need to hear about us. They need to know the breadth of what we do,” Driscoll-Teague reminded. “Talk us up.”