Junior Faculty Feature: Carrie Knight

Language is essential to human communication – it’s one of the most basic necessities of life, and functions as an influential and multifaceted societal resource. After taking linguistics elective while earning her undergraduate degree, Dr. Carrie Knight fell in love with the concept of language, and found the ability to analyze varying aspects of communication both rewarding and challenging. “All it took was one elective to influence my life’s work,” said Dr. Knight.

This newfound love for language was reinforced while working alongside a speech-language pathologist at a daycare for at-risk children - this inspired her to earn a master’s degree in Communication and Science Disorders from the University of Southern Mississippi. Later employed as a speech-language pathologist, Dr. Knight’s most coveted time of the year were the student rotations through the clinic.  “Students would present their text books and newest findings, and educate me on the latest trends in the field - I learned more from them than they learned from me,” she said. “Through their eyes, I was able to observe what the art of speech-language pathology looked like to the newest generation of scholars.”

Dr. Knight worked as a clinician for over 20 years prior to obtaining her PhD, noting, “I always knew I wanted to earn my PhD; I wasn’t going to stop until I reached that level.” In 2009, she did just that and earned her PhD from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “I discovered that I loved working with children and adults with disabilities, and ultimately found that speech-language pathology married my love of language with my love of those with disabilities,” she said.

In July 2015, Dr. Knight accepted the position of assistant professor in the newly accredited Speech-Language Pathology program at Salus University. Regarding her teaching philosophy, Dr. Knight acknowledged her firm belief in team-based activities. “A speech-language pathologist never works in isolation - you work with a team to find a path for the most beneficial outcome - my classroom reflects that same attitude,” she stated. 

Communication is vital to society, and the Speech-Language Pathology program at Salus adds a dynamic educational component for the advancement of students, clients, and the community as a whole. The ability to guide students and witness their success has been her proudest professional accomplishment thus far. According to Dr. Knight, each course and class has its own unique culture, but she’s definitely up for the challenge of learning and growing from each encounter.

Learn More About the Salus Speech-Language Pathology Program