August 21, 2025 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu

When Molly O’Malley and her military spouse started a family, she knew it was time to make a pivot from her 12 years as a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot. Though she loved serving her country and training new pilots, O’Malley was looking for a new way to help others while balancing the requirements of military family life.

“I had studied psychology for my undergraduate degree, so I already had an interest in the cognitive processes behind language learning and development,” O’Malley says. “When I decided to make a career change, I was looking for something that was personally interesting to me and that allowed me to make a meaningful difference for others, while maintaining enough flexibility to move frequently as a military spouse. Speech-language pathology fit all of my requirements!”

Based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia (but who knows for how long), O’Malley considered all distance education programs and the M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology degree offered by the Arnold School’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (COMD) was by far the best fit. The program not only provides the necessary background courses, but it also offers an asynchronous format and coordinates local clinical placements (in addition to one summer in SC).

“It was the perfect program for me as a military spouse and a busy mom who moves every 2-3 years,” she says.

During her program, O’Malley gained clinical experience in a variety of settings, from retirement communities to private practice to elementary schools. She found a particular passion in working with children, both in the early years (birth through three years old) as well as preschool through elementary-aged children.

She was inspired by all of the COMD instructors and their specialty areas and was particularly influenced by the program director, Beth Barnes. O’Malley also found connection with her classmates – despite their scattered locales.

“Even though my cohort was spread out across the country, we were able to form a tight bond through our shared classes and experiences,” she says. “Many of us were able to meet in person and get to know each other well during our first six-week summer practicum in South Carolina. Having almost our whole class together at the hooding ceremony was an amazing highlight of the program and it felt like we had been attending classes together in person all along.”

O’Malley graduates in August as the recipient of the department’s 21st Century Scholarship and the Distance Education Outstanding Student Award. After completing her clinical fellowship, she plans to work in a pediatric private practice or school setting. She feels that the program has completely prepared her for her future in this new career.

“The M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology Distance Education program is highly supportive of out-of-state students – they have a practicum coordinator who will find a placement for you in your local area,” O’Malley says. “Also, COMD definitely provides a well-rounded education in a field that can be intimidating because of its wide breadth. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in speech-language pathology.”

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