From Doodling to Designing a T-Shirt: Audio and Speech Therapy Student Wins the RSU T-Shirt Design Contest

Why did you participate in the t-shirt design contest?

I saw how talented my course mates are during a course we did on language disorders in children with the head of our programme Ilze Blūmentāle. We were given a team project where we had to develop materials for narrative intervention. These are drawings that help to develop children’s narrative skills and expand their vocabulary. We had to make several pictures for each story. It turned out that many of the other women in the course were really good at drawing! Blūmentāle noticed this too, and she was the one to tell us about the contest. She encouraged us all to participate. So, one evening I decided to create this design. 

Karīna's winning design.

Do you have any design experience? 

I attended Daugavpils Design and Art School up to fifth grade and that’s where I learned to draw. Now I like graphic arts. I doodle abstract drawings on my study notes. Drawing is a hobby.

Tell us about your T-shirt design! What did you want to say with it?

I’ve drawn a tree to symbolise my university.

A tree symbolises the cycle of life – people inherit values, educate themselves and bring them to the world. I associate my alma mater RSU with the roots of the tree, with the historically inherited values and knowledge that are passed down from generation to generation.

The water of life flows through the trunk, which represents the university’s main objectives, which is to pass on knowledge, whereas the crown of the tree opens up to a vista of life from the vantage point of knowledge and experience. The heart symbolises solidarity during the study process. The tree grows, becomes stronger, more powerful – it is open to the world in order to contribute to the future. The ear and the face symbolise my professional field – audio speech therapy.

Why did you choose to study audio speech therapy?

I have a very wide range of interests.

After high school, I had many ideas for where to study, but ended up choosing RSU – not because of my specialty, but because I liked the environment at the university.

I visited various universities while I was still in high school for contests and other events, including RSU, and I really liked it here. I wanted to study in a pleasant and diverse environment. I had many ideas about what I was going to study and I chose Audio and Speech Therapy. During my first year I was not completely sure if I had made the right choice. But now I can say with certainty that I’m in the right place. I have amazing course mates – we are on the same wavelength!

You are a 3rd-year student, which means that you started studying before the pandemic. What is it like to study remotely? 

I enjoy studying the theoretical courses remotely. I like being in my own environment and listen to music while I study or grab some coffee. But the practical parts are harder to learn this way and that is a big disadvantage. I do hope that we can catch up on this next year, though because being able to practice is very important in my field. 

Have you had a placement this year?

Yes, we had a placement at the Dzirdes sistēmas hearing centre during the autumn semester. We could work with both adults and children at the centre and perform hearing diagnostics. We also learned how to adjust hearing aids and make home visits.

3rd-year placement at the Dzirdes sistēmas hearing centre (Karīna is second from the right). Autumn 2020. Photo from private archive.

What would you like to do after graduation? 

I will definitely return to Latgale. I want to work clinically because of the more complex and professionally interesting cases, such as various functional disorders related to swallowing, breathing and hearing. I like working with patients from start to finish to see how their problems get resolved.

We still have many interesting study courses ahead of us that I am looking forward to: Elocution, Dysphagia, Medical Paedagogy. Each of them brings interesting experience. It’s common that we want to specialise in something specific after studying a particular course.

Do you intend to continue your studies on a master’s level?

Yes, definitely! I'm still looking for my direction, so it's hard to say what programme I’ll choose, but I'm committed to continuing my education.

I like being active. I observe epidemiological safety measures as much as I can and try to enjoy winter sports. This year, I started to learn how to snowboard, which is healthy and helps me relax. In the spring, I’ll start roller skating and cycling.