LEND Alumnus Accepted into Florida State University’s Ph.D. Program

April 12, 2024

“My name is Billy Holden Allen. As an individual with Central Core Disease, a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and having been a physical therapy patient for the majority of my life, I have a profound interest in operating within therapeutic fields. I was originally homeschooled through high school before I entered Central Virginia Community College where I joined the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and became a peer English tutor. I transferred to Longwood University as a junior to complete my bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). As an undergrad, I organized and became the president of the American Sign Language Club and engaged in faculty-guided research investigating caregiver language support strategies. I later entered Longwood’s CSD master’s program where I had the opportunity to work as the teaching assistant for the entire undergrad CSD program, continue my research in language support strategies, investigate field receptiveness towards individuals with disabilities for my thesis project, and participate in the Va LEND program. I recently accepted an offer from Florida State University to enter their Ph.D. CSD program where I hope to continue researching childhood language and increasing the representation of disabled individuals in our field. I am looking forward to using my formal education and experiences from the Va LEND program to support my future pursuits.”