Our Story/Rawan Ali Jaffer Al Lawati

April 2017

As a child, Rawan Ali Jaffer Al Lawati struggled with certain pronunciations and her classmates bullied her for the speech impediment.

After time with a speech-language pathologist, Lawati improved her pronunciation. Today, she is an undergraduate student at Penn State majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and minoring in Psychology with a goal to help others.

Ultimately, Lawati wants to return to her home country of Oman where she said more support programs are needed.

“I know what kids are experiencing and I don’t want kids to experience what I did,” Lawati said.

Lawati completed a summer internship at a speech and hearing clinic for children in Oman. While there, she observed therapy sessions with children.

“I learned that you can’t generalize; each client is different from the other. You have to take into account their personal experiences and how they’ve grown up,” Lawati said. “I came into CSD knowing this is what I want to do, and after this experience I’m more sure.”

To help advance her studies, Lawati has taken advantage of Summer Session at Penn State to complete courses that required more focus.

“In the summer, class sizes are smaller and you get one on one time with professors while easing the burden of the fall and spring semesters,” Lawati said.

When taking a break from studies, Lawati enjoyed a variety of activities on and around campus.

“Besides classes, I got to do a lot of activities like hiking and barbecues outside,” Lawati said. “The weather is great, the town is great, and you get to experience State College when it’s not crowded.”

There are eight areas for students to study within the College of Health and Human Development:

Biobehavioral Health

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Health Policy and Administration

Hospitality Management

Human Development and Family Studies

Kinesiology

Nutritional Sciences

Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management