In January 2021, we were very happy to welcome a new staff member to Albatross Daycare. This week we managed to find some time to sit down and have a short interview with her.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Marissa Perez. I was born in Miami, Florida and I have been in Finland for one year.
What are your qualifications?
I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Linguistics in the US and then went on to complete my Masters in Speech and Language Sciences at UCL (University College London). I applied to UCL because it has the reputation of being one of the best Speech and Language therapy programs in the world. After graduating, I worked as a Speech Therapist for the NHS for about two years. I worked as a Community Pediatric Speech Therapist specializing in bilingual speech development and selective mutism. While working at the NHS, my main client base were children aged three to sixteen.
What did you do there?
I had a case load of about 150 children where I would assess, diagnose, and prepare therapy plans and carry out intervention with teaching staff as well as on a one-to-one basis.
You have been in Finland for a year recently started in Albatross. What is your role at Albatross?
At Albatross, I have been taken on as a linguistic specialist where I rotate my days between each classroom engaging in play and promoting language development. I support language development through guided activities as well as free play. My role in each classroom varies depending on the needs of each individual group. I collaborate with the teachers to plan small and large group activities according to what areas of development their group needs.
Additionally, I will be submitting material to the Albatross Daycare blog which will include tips to support the children’s language and communication development at home.
My primary goal in Finland is to learn Finnish and to have my degree recognized by the Finnish Board of Education, therefore, allowing me to work as a certified speech therapist in Finland.
If you would like to know more specifically when I am in your child’s classroom, please ask the teachers for more specific information.
I look forward to seeing you in the near future.