At the start of the tour, I didn't really know what to expect, but I was looking forward to it. Thursday began in a hurry, with the opening ceremonies. There, the ASHA president spoke about her experience as a speech-language pathologist and recalled her own brother as an inspiration, who recently died but had Down syndrome. That alone was enough to pique my interest, and his whole story seemed in sync with mine regarding the importance of speech therapy. From the opening session, many people started looking for the ice cream, but I instead found a quiet place to look through the book of presentations and posters. I've learned from other conferences I've attended that there are usually way too many sessions to get through in a single day - because all the good ones seem to happen at once - but here it There were even more than I expected. . Dozens and dozens were happening all at once, and all of them I wanted to attend. Luckily the poster session ran all day, so I was able to at least stop at the posters I really wanted to see. During the poster sessions, it was a little annoying having the presenter looking at me and waiting for me to ask. a question. Especially since I knew so little about the subjects. However, some caught my attention. Due to an assignment due in another class, I wanted to learn more about the public perception of stuttering, as well as how it affects the daily life of a person who stutters. Dr. Fauzia Abdalla was one of those people I wondered about after reading the poster she presented on public perception of people who stutter. Know how the public perceived these people who stutter, in a...... middle of paper ......s. Speaking with exhibitors showed me just what is available within the profession. There can be internships just about anywhere – it all depends on how far I want to travel. The variety of therapeutic toys and games is also amazing. If one had enough money, it would almost be possible to try something new every day. The gifts were also nice, including my favorite which was a thumb ball, something small but practical. Overall, I think this experience helped me learn more about the career field, as well as some of the disorders related to it. It exposed me to the research going on, even if I didn't necessarily understand it all, nor did I have the knowledge to really understand it all. It also made me realize the significant impact that speech-language pathologists and audiologists have within the community. It's truly a service-oriented career.