Where do you work now and what does your job entail?
I am working as a speech and language pathologist in Moroccan education. I am self-employed in my own organisation in Rabat specialising in developing language and cognitive skills in early education. At the moment I am preparing for a PhD in neuropedagogy in child and education studies at Leiden University. My field of research is multilingualism and early brain development.
Why did you choose to work in this field?
My study of linguistics at Radboud University, one of the best universities worldwide, gave me the chance to learn about language and cognitive development and also learn more about academic research and academic skills.
What did you learn during your studies that you now use in your work?
The courses I studied in my Master's programme were in the field of language and cognition for example topics in second language acquisition, semantics and pragmatics in Max Planck Institute, global English, translation studies and so forth. All those courses were very interesting to learn about language and cognitive development. They gave me the ability to do a pre-PhD in the field of multilingualism and early brain development at the Institute of Social and Behavioural Science.
How did you experience this programme at Radboud University? In your opinion, what made this programme special?
Linguistics at Radboud University is a very interesting subject because I studied under the supervision of many expert professors in this field. I was lucky enough to have Pieter Muysken as a supervisor in both my thesis and my internship. All the professors at Radboud University are experts in linguistics and great thinkers. Now, I always feel proud to talk about my Master's programme at Radboud University.
What would you recommend to future students when they go to choose a study?
I advise future students to study at Radboud University because it is one of the best places to become critical thinkers and learn skills that can help them feel independent and confident to do their own projects.