Bettina is a senior in COSD and a Waldron College Student Ambassador. When asked what drove her to pursue a career in speech-language pathology, she said she chose it because: “SLPs train to treat across the entire lifespan. In addition to having a variety of work settings, being an SLP enables us to work with a diverse client, be creative to keep therapy interesting, and most importantly make a lasting impact in their lives.” She sees herself working in a medical setting (rehabilitation center,  skilled nursing facility, or hospital) and potentially opening her own practice in the future.  Through her work as a caregiver at a long-term care facility, she has developed a passion for the geriatric population. Alzheimer's disease research has always been an interest of hers as she works with individuals with Alzheimer's disease and knows first-hand how awful it is. 

When she has free time, she likes to give back to the community. Bettina learned how to coupon so that she can stretch her money further and be able to donate the products (toiletries, food, and more) to various shelters and rehabilitation facilities. It gives her joy to be able to help others.

Dr. Abdelaziz went to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. She worked as a bilingual, school-based SLP for 6 years with students from pre-K to 8^th grade. Middle school is her favorite age-range to treat. She also worked in early intervention for a few summers after completing her clinical fellowship.

She is a new faculty member in COSD and said she was “excited about coming to Radford for a few reasons. The biggest reason (and why I would recommend our COSD program to anyone) is because of the sense of community within the department, especially between the faculty and students!” When asked what she enjoys the most about being a SLP, she said: “The relationships I make with my clients and their families is so meaningful to me. I still keep up with some of my old clients and their families in North Carolina!”

In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family watching movies, playing board games, and trying out new gluten-free recipes!