AnnMarie attended the University of South Florida and graduated magna cum laude with her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She engaged in and presented her research regarding “Trauma’s Impact on Language and the Role of the Speech Language Pathologist”. She continued her journey at USF and received her Master’s of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology. AnnMarie had the opportunity to present a poster “Communication for All: Creating an Awareness Campaign” at the 2022 FLASHA Convention.
Before working at AASL, AnnMarie worked with children ranging from 18 months to 18 years old in outpatient clinic settings. Supporting children is her passion! She has experience evaluating and providing treatment to children with a wide range of delays and learning differences including autism, speech-sound disorders, language disorders, Down syndrome, and AAC. Within these experiences, AnnMarie had the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary work with occupational therapists and psychologists, and supports the need for collaborative care. AnnMarie believes that everyone deserves a voice and she strives to give superior, individualized treatment to all those she serves.
In her free time, AnnMarie enjoys spending time with her family, boyfriend, and friends, reading, being active, watching baseball (go Yankees!), and trying new things!
More About AnnMarie…
What is your favorite food?
This is a tough question, because I love lots of different foods, but probably fruit or pasta.
What is your favorite holiday and why?
I love Christmas Eve. My family is Italian and this is typically the night we have a “Feast of 7 Fishes”. Though I do not really enjoy fish, I always loved having all of the family over and celebrating throughout the night.
What is a cool hobby of yours?
Cooking/baking new recipes or being active- I have recently been hiking, playing beach volleyball, and pickle ball!
Favorite Halloween costume you wore as a child?
Either the yellow dress Belle wore in Beauty in the Beast or a fairy.
What did you want to be “when you grow up”?
A dancer!
Why did you become a therapist?
Growing up, I knew I wanted my career to be centered around helping people. Someone in high-school suggested looking into speech-therapy, and what I found resonated with me. It combines my love of working with kids with my passion for helping people! Communicating is such an essential piece of our lives and I want to help children achieve that, because everyone deserves a voice.
What is the funniest thing one of your kids has said to you or done during therapy?
During one session, I was trying to direct my client to another activity, she was about 4 years old. I suggested “How about we do this?”, and she replied in the most kindest, innocent way “How about no?”. I was flabbergasted and we proceeded to pick another toy!
Give us one surprising/cool fact about you?
As part of a scholarship I won, I danced with a famous Australian singer, Conrad Sewell, in Las Vegas when I was 18!
What pets do you have and what are their names?
I have no pets-YET! I would love a golden retriever one day soon though. I had a pug named Lily growing up, she was adorable!
What is your favorite movie and why?
One of my favorite movies is Just Go With It. I love Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, and the movie is hilarious in general. I also love Monsters Inc., it’s a classic!
Favorite song?
I love most genres of music, but these two songs always make me smile: Brooklyn in the Summer by Aloe Blacc or Saturday nights by Khalid & Kane Brown.
Favorite book?
My favorite books growing up were Magic Treehouse or Junie B. Jones. I currently love to read contemporary fiction and fantasy, and Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas are my favorite authors.
