Jane Westphal

I have spent 32 years working as a Speech Language Pathologist. I have worked in Health and Education across 3 states. For the past 12 years, I have been working with the QLD Education Department. This role has included working with teenage mothers, at-risk students and training teachers. My current role is more specialised. I work with junior secondary, disengaged students from dysfunctional backgrounds who cannot read. Most of these students can't read due to life circumstance, but unfortunately many students think they are exceptionally stupid. Therefore intervention has to address their psychological needs as well as the specific reading skills. I studied at CQU to enhance my knowledge and abilities in this area.

As the students I work with have complex stories, I was looking for a degree that would enhance my knowledge and skills to help this cohort. I have been passionate about Neuroscience for over 20 years, so when I saw the CQU Master of Educational Neuroscience, I thought it would be a perfect fit. My job is very rewarding, although it has some significant frustrations.