From Spain to Northampton: Meet MED Student, Olga
Olga Corral Carrillo is from a little village in the Galicia region of Spain. Currently, she is living in Northampton, Massachusetts, working towards a Masters Degree in Deaf Education through a program offered jointly through Smith College and Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
Helping deaf children became the focus of Olga’s career when a cousin in Spain was born profoundly deaf. “I had studied special education, but with early intervention and new hearing technologies, so much has changed. My family and I - we learned so much, so quickly.” Olga found a Spanish organization, CLAVE - Caring for Hearing Impairment. “I immediately realized that this was what I wanted to do with my life.”
Very few graduate-level programs in Spain are designed specifically for working with children with hearing loss. CLAVE, in partnership with Clarke and Smith College, arranged for Olga to travel to the United States and receive specialized training in deaf education and child development. “Clarke’s program is internationally recognized. I knew that this was a unique opportunity.”
As part of her masters program, Olga is taking courses in language acquisition, the development of auditory/oral skills, audiology and language instruction and curriculum. Because the program is based on the Northampton campus of Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, Olga studies alongside deaf students and experienced teachers of the deaf.
“With other graduate programs, you study the material, but you are not necessarily as immersed in the environment. Here, I’m taking classes, learning from teachers who have years of experience and working with children all at the same time.” As part of the program, Olga will complete classroom rotations with each age group and observe speech therapy sessions. When she graduates, Olga plans to return to Spain and work in CLAVE’s early intervention program. “I look forward to helping families of infants with hearing loss understand its effect on their child’s development.”
Olga has worked in Ireland, England, Colombia, and New York City. While earning her undergraduate degrees in Special Education and Pedagogy at Granada University, Olga volunteered with several international organizations. “I wanted to get out into the world and make a difference. In England, I tutored Spanish schoolchildren in English and reading. One summer I went to Ireland to intern with a national wheelchair accessibility organization. Later, I came to the United States for an Internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art working in educational programs for visitors with disabilities. It was an incredible experience.”
“Olga is dedicated and focused on making a big impact in the world,” says Dan Salvucci, director of the MED program. “Olga and her fellow students bring new enthusiasm and curiosity to our field.”
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