Dr. Tanya Matthews
My research focuses on issues in the Black community, and my hope is that my findings will directly benefit these families. I am looking at how language is learned in the homes of families with children between the ages of 3-5 years.
My story has a humble beginning in rural North Carolina. As I reflect on my childhood, I have fond memories of playing outside on hot summer days and making mud pies after an afternoon thunderstorm, not realizing at the time that we did not have a lot.
My parents worked multiple jobs to provide for us and our time together was precious. My brother and I were latch-key kids, often home alone after school when our parents were at work. We were independent but also responsible as we looked out for ourselves
At an early age, I noticed that my little brother had difficulty with speaking fluently. I was very protective of him and would often act as his interpreter when someone could not understand him. People often did not understand his challenges and sometimes laughed at him, and it really infuriated me. This ignited my passion to find a way to help my brother and individuals like him.
In our home, as our parents worked long hours, we did not often take time to discuss school, with less follow-up as to whether we were succeeding or having difficulties in school. As a result, school for me was more about the social experience and my homework and grades were not a priority and I had not considered university.
However, in high school my friends talked about the universities they wanted to attend and the different careers and professions they were targeting. I was influenced by my friends and the way they spoke about their dreams and aspirations and of university.
These conversations with friends at school had a huge impact on me and led me to come to two important decisions. I became determined go to university, and to become a speech language pathologist (SLP) when I found out that they help people to overcome speech issues. My philosophy about school and the significance of doing well in school was totally transformed and this led me to strive for higher education and achieve my goal of helping people who had difficulties speaking.
My commitment to school continued throughout high school and I was accepted at two top universities in North Carolina. With a lot of hard work, I successfully completed my bachelor’s degree in speech communication and later completed my master’s degree in speech language pathology.
While my dream of becoming an SLP had come to fruition, my aspiration to help individuals with challenges with speech, language and reading was far from over especially for those individuals from underrepresented communities.
My next adventure centered on helping people from underrepresented communities and to be a mentor to other people like me. At the young age of 39, with a 13-month-old child in tow, I returned to school and completed my Ph.D. in communication sciences and disorders at McGill University.
This past year, I received the McGill Third Century research fellowship, which is an award that was specifically designed to recruit people of color and assist with the development of their academic and research career through mentorship and financial support.
My research focuses on issues in the Black community, and my hope is that my findings will directly benefit these families. I am looking at how language is learned in the homes of families with children between the ages of 3-5 years.
Documenting the oral language and literacy practices is fundamental to informing educators about the culturally and linguistic differences that exist in the black community and developing culturally responsive assessment and intervention tools.
I am currently recruiting for this study and families will be compensated for participation.
Please contact me at my email or mobile phone: tanya.matthews@mcgill.ca or 438-494-6744 if you are interested.
