VIDEO: Her autistic son needed help, so she became an expert
Jaclyn Gutierrez left a career in banking to pursue speech therapy and advocate for Spanish-speaking families like her own.
If finding a career you love is hard, leaving it behind is even harder. No one knows this better than Jaclyn Gutierrez. After struggling to find support for her son Phillip, who was diagnosed with autism at age 4, she left behind an eight-year career in banking that she loved.
“When we got dismissed from early intervention (due to aging out), I made the decision that if no one was going to help my son, I was going to do it,” said Gutierrez, a student in the Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences program at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Gutierrez will graduate May 16 with her Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Certificate and plans to work in the field before returning to school to earn her master’s. She’s excited to begin advocating for native Spanish-speakers who may not be able to push back against caregivers who dismiss their concerns.
“I knew that the pediatrician telling me that (Phillip) growing up in a bilingual environment was delaying his speech wasn’t true,” Gutierrez said. “And of course, coming back and actually learning the science behind that, I have the evidence to back that up now where I didn’t before.”
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Growing up bilingual was an important part of Gutierrez’s childhood. She wanted her two children to learn their Mexican heritage as well, especially considering that Gutierrez and her fiancé, Phil, perform in a mariachi band together.
“My paternal grandmother was a mariachi singer when she was very young as well,” Gutierrez said. “Her nickname is La Aztequita de Oro, and that means ‘the little golden Aztec.’ And I ended up following in her footsteps.”
In addition to instilling in Gutierrez a love of music, her family taught her perseverance. She waited tables at her parents’ restaurant during high school, an experience that showed her that hard work could help her achieve the lifestyle she wanted.
As she approaches graduation and a new career, she’s thankful that she has been supported in her decision to change careers and move toward a life of purpose for herself and her family.
“It shouldn’t be this hard to get your kid help,” she said. “And I want to be that person that says, ‘Yes, I see your struggle, and I want to help you.’”
Learn more about Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences programs at MSU Denver.
