Nearly 600 miles separate Austin from Kristel Holguin’s hometown of El Paso. Yet, despite this great distance, Kristel’s path never wavered: she always dreamed of a career helping young children. After declaring her major in Human Development and Family Sciences, she employed an array of UT Austin’s curricula and learning opportunities to transform her passion into her vocation.
Finding Her Academic Home
For many students, finding the right department can feel like discovering a second family. Kristel’s first contact with the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences was Professor Hallie Speranza, who professed how children are whole human beings and deserve to be respected as such—a sentiment with which Kristel agreed wholeheartedly.
“After meeting a lot of other people in the department, I decided that I wanted to be in that environment and be around people who also loved and respected children in that way,” Kristel said.
Over the next few years, Kristel would find herself taking more Human Development classes and working in the Priscilla Pond Flawn Child and Family Laboratory, which would later become the site of her internship through the Children and Society track of the Bridging Disciplines Programs (BDP). For her BDP Connecting Experience, she practiced teaching 3-year-olds and worked with professional staff to curate the perfect environment for children in the program.
“As adults, we took on that role of ‘how can we make sure that they’re able to learn and just explore the world around them in the best way that they can?’” Kristel explains. “We’re the ones who can really do that for them. We see that all behaviors are communication, and then we would change the classroom and make it the most effective for them.”
These experiences helped Kristel refine her professional career plans. Working directly with children and observing the profound impact of quality care solidified her desire to become a child speech therapist.
Broadening Her Understanding of Childcare
With the aim of building her understanding of child therapy, Kristel interned with KidWorks, an occupational, physical, and speech therapy clinic in South Austin. During her 160-hour internship, she shadowed therapists who ingeniously disguised therapeutic activities as play.
“The therapist would adapt the therapy tools to what the child was interested in, which I felt was really impactful, to make therapy something that didn’t even feel like therapy,” Kristel said. “It’s more ‘we’re going to play, and as the adult, as the clinician, I’m going to work on the goals with you.’”
Perhaps the most powerful lessons Kristel learned from her internship was that all behavior is communication. By internalizing this concept, she learned to personalize her approach to a child’s development to encourage curious exploration.
Kristel's understanding of child development gained an international dimension when she joined a study abroad program in Italy last May, led by her professor Hallie Speranza. The trip involved observations of the Montessori and Reggio Emilia approaches of educational philosophy, which articulate children as whole human beings with rights and potential for incredible development.
Throughout these diverse experiences, one thing remained constant: Kristel's genuine empathy for children. For her, helping young people navigate their world isn't merely a professional objective, it’s a deeply personal mission that transcends career ambitions.
Mentors Who Shaped the Journey
Now graduated, Kristel reminisces about the important figures who have helped shape her collegiate journey at UT Austin.
“Hallie Speranza was really impactful with her saying that ‘children are whole human beings.’ I repeat that a lot when I talk about what has inspired me,” Kristel said. “She’s inspired me to follow that and make sure I am someone who can advocate for children and educate them in the future.”
Kristel also acknowledged Sarah Ozuna Brown and Amy Bryan at the Priscilla Pond Flawn Child and Family Laboratory. Brown was instrumental in teaching Kristel about developmentally appropriate practices for young children, and Bryan helped ensure Kristel could tie her eclectic experiences of childcare into her practice, better reinforcing the end goal of her education: excellence in her career.
Dr. Czimskey from the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing was another noteworthy figure in Kristel’s college career. “She always brought great passion to her courses,” Kristel notes, “and this permeated through my experience in the classroom and reinforced my excitement toward my career.”
Cultivating Resilience Through Simple Practices
Throughout her undergraduate years, Kristel developed a simple habit that helped her in times of stress or anxiety. Each week, she would open her calendar and write a simple affirmation: I expect my life to be good and joyous, and so it is. This simple weekly practice helped Kristel stay focused on her goals and prevented her from letting minor setbacks affect her overall well-being.
For current and future students, Kristel advocates courage in making connections: "Do the scary thing and approach people around you. Be it professors, students, or professional colleagues, cold approaching and asking questions is part of the initiative behind changing your day. Opening your mind to the world around you, can lead to new paths and new opportunities to heighten your career and enrich your life.”
With her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences, Kristel carries with her not just academic knowledge, but a philosophy of care, respect, and advocacy for children that will guide her professional journey as a speech therapist.
For students interested in the Bridging Disciplines Programs, visit the Undergraduate College website at undergradcollege.utexas.edu.