WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
As a student at Mentone Grammar, Lottie Morison (2013) was passionate about the arts, sciences and languages. Upon graduating, she looked for a career that would utilise all her interests, and that’s when she found her love for helping children through Speech Pathology.
We sat down with Lottie to discuss her journey from a passionate student at Mentone Grammar to University and, now, her career:
“At school, I was interested in both the arts and the sciences. My interests were strongly encouraged by my teachers, and I first became passionate about genetics in Mr Reed’s Year 10 science class. It was also during this time that I had personal experiences with speech pathology. I began to think that a career as a speech pathologist would be a wonderful opportunity to combine all of my interests in voice, science and languages, whilst also making a positive impact on people’s lives.
“After finishing school, I studied at Monash University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in International Studies and German, and Bachelor of Science, majoring in Genetics. I then enrolled in a Masters of Speech Pathology at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 2019.
“Since graduating, I have worked clinically as a paediatric speech pathologist with children and teenagers with developmental delays and disabilities. Our communication skills underpin everything we do, and so it is truly special to work with families to support their child’s communication development. It has been wonderful to be part of a child’s journey – seeing them communicate meaningfully for the first time (using a device, sign language or talking), learning to write and read, expressing their thoughts and feelings, or saying sounds they previously never could!
“My Year 10 science classes are ten years ago now. The opportunities I was granted in high school paved the way for me to engage in lifelong learning through further study and research, whilst also making a meaningful contribution to society.”
In 2022, Lottie was the recipient of the Mentonians Foundation Award, where she will receive $15K towards her Ph.D. studies at the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. She is researching communication skills in children with genetic conditions who have severe communication impairments. Her research will also improve our understanding of three rare genetic conditions – Kleefstra Syndrome, Batten Disease and Angelman Syndrome.
