Samantha Allan, an Honors College senior, has an intimidating schedule. She balances EMT training, research, a speech pathology and audiology degree, a Spanish minor, work in a lab, and her role as a resident assistant (RA). Samantha is one of over 400 current Honors College students pursuing a career in a healthcare-related major. Although a love of teaching and languages originally brought Samantha to major in speech pathology and audiology, she is now focused on a career in healthcare.
After graduating from Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, Samantha came to Kent State University due to her interest in the speech pathology and audiology Combined Bachelor’s-Master’s Program (CBMP). However, a couple years into her undergraduate degree, a fascinating anatomy and physiology course, as well as a friend’s recommendation, opened Samatha’s eyes to a new possibility: becoming a physician’s assistant (PA) in the medical field. Samantha later got the opportunity to shadow a current PA as they worked in an emergency department. The unique experience solidified Samantha’s decision to go to PA school after receiving her undergraduate degree.
“I wanted diversity in what I could do,” Samantha said about her decision to become a PA. “I could do allergies one day, and then two years later, work in the cancer center.”
Though Samantha will not be pursuing a graduate degree in the same subject as her undergraduate degree, she will use many of the skills she has gathered during these last four years. Samantha’s minor in Spanish will be particularly useful; Samantha hopes to use her Spanish skills to better serve Spanish-speaking patients when she is a PA.
“I think I would want to start in the emergency department,” Samantha said. “I want to get my baseline skills set up. And emergency is, I think, one of the best places to do it.”
Samantha recently finished Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training at Hudson Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and she plans to work as an EMT for a year before starting a PA program.
The EMT training was part of a semester-long course where Samantha learned the skills to provide basic life support for patients and gather their necessary medical information while in route to the hospital. The course included eight hours of on-the-job experience at Western Reserve Hospital and six hours of assisting a Hudson EMS emergency response squad.
“When you do EMT training, all they talk about is chest pain and shortness of breath,” Samantha explained. “And then on the squad, I helped administer nitroglycerin (a drug for chest pain). I was like, wow, the training is aligning.”
At Kent State, Samantha shares her passion for healthcare with others. She’s a founding member and former president of the Healthcare Professionals in Color club. The club’s mission is to foster a community that promotes success and well-being for future healthcare professionals of color by hosting events and current healthcare professionals of color as guest speakers.
“We have healthcare professionals of color come speak to us. They share their experiences and tell us how we can get in [the field] and succeed,” said Samantha.
It was in this club that Samantha met Kelechi Okechukwu, the club’s program coordinator, an exercise science major, and aspiring PA. Kelechi’s aspirations introduced Samantha to the possibility of a career as a PA.
Adding to Samantha’s many commitments, is her job in the Kent State University Perception, Learning, and Individual Differences (PLAID) lab, which is run by Julia Jones-Huyck, Ph.D., Associate Director and Program Coordinator, Speech Pathology and Audiology. In the lab, Samantha observes and records how recruits perform on tasks that measure auditory timing, temporal interval discrimination, gap detection, working memory, and executive function. This information could yield benefits for adolescents and young adults who have an auditory processing disorder or are adjusting to new hearing aids or cochlear implants. When she graduates, Samantha will have been working in the PLAID lab for two years.
The at Kent State, which Samanth participated in last year, was what originally got her into contact with Jones-Huyck. During the program, Samantha took a course on research methods, wrote a research paper on the PLAID lab’s work, and attended the National Conference On Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) in Hawaii.
Samantha has had three additional on-campus jobs; she worked in the COVID response department, was a desk assistant for Kent State University Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and has been a RA in Beall Hall for a year and a half.
Samantha applied to the Honors College as an incoming freshman and has been an honors student ever since. She credits her Honors College advisor, Erin Ahrens, with helping her through her career pivot.
“I came out with the best honors advisor,” said Samantha. “She totally helped me out when I didn’t know if I wanted to switch my plan. I came to her with the new plan, and she said, ‘OK, go for it.’”
Samantha never lived in an Honors College Living-Learning community, so it wasn’t until she became a Peer-to-Peer Support Mentor in the Honors College that she really felt connected to her Honors College community. As a mentor, she had the opportunity to plan events and provide one-on-one support for her honors peers, strengthening her connection with the college and its many benefits.
This January 2025, Samantha passed the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam, making her a certified EMT. Along with being an EMT, Samantha plans to take some additional science courses at a local community college during her planned gap year post-graduation.
For more information about the Honors College at Kent State, visit the Honors College website or email honors@kent.edu. For more information about majoring in speech pathology and audiology, visit the College of Education, Health, and Human Services website.
PHOTO CAPTION 1: Samantha Allan at a historic site in Spain during a study-abroad opportunity.
Media Contact: Stephanie Moskal, smoskal@kent.edu, 330-672-2312