Dr. Jackie L. Clark, PhD, ABA-Certified
Audiologist / Clinical Professor
I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. While I was still a toddler my parents eventually made our way to Commerce City, Colorado (with a short stay in Miami, Florida – which is another story). Then, my family moved to Littleton, Colorado from Commerce City, after I finished 1st grade. My parents married young, and they did not finish high school. Financial struggles were part of my childhood. We regularly ran out of money way before the month ended, and our meals became very “creative” with little to no nutritious value. The move to Littleton completely changed my educational trajectory. The Littleton Public School System identified me with both reading and articulation disorders. At that time, there were no technical diagnoses such as Dyslexia, learning difference or language disorders; however, I was enrolled in reading therapy and speech therapy, and it was a lifesaver. In receiving help for my reading, I began to make sense of language and the world. Slowly, I began to understand what people were saying to me. By no means did I excel in school. I’m certain my early childhood teachers would be shocked to learn that I actually graduated from Arapahoe High School, since the bar for academic success was set very low for me.
Initially, I decided to go to junior college and major in Distributive Education. However, after one year at Aims Community College in Greeley, Colorado, I transferred to Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins with a major in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing and a minor in Fashion Design. This was a good fit for me since I had started running a small business while I was still in high school. So, I knew how to turn a profit and enjoyed selling products. The last requirement in my major was to intern at a major department store. So, I moved to Dallas, Texas in August, and I worked in sales at Titche-Goettinger. Within one month, I was transferred to Toys and Christmas Goods as the department manager during the Christmas season. Since my internship was concluded at the end of that Fall Term, I graduated from CSU, and stayed on with Titche-Goettinger. Long story short, I eventually managed 100+ personnel, was promoted to assistant buyer for Junior Sportswear then promoted to simultaneously manage a number of departments with sales personnel; all of which entailed being present minimally in the store 12 – 15 hours daily.
How did you learn about the Callier Center and what sparked your interest in speech-pathology and audiology?
After having two babies and prohibitive childcare costs negated any chance of my return to retail management, I decided to go to graduate school (thanks to Pell and a few other Grants) and complete a Master’s Degree on both speech-language pathology and audiology. My goal was to learn how to help others who struggled with learning and understanding the world around them because of communication barriers. Prior to signing up for my first classes, I had never heard of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. Nor could I have predicted that I would spend a “few” decades with the Callier Center as a graduate student, teaching assistant, lecturer, clinician and clinical professor!
What inspired you to create a student fellowship?
I have always believed in giving back and paying it forward. Creating an audiology fellowship for graduate students was a logical solution to paying it forward. After experiencing severe financial strains as a child and later as a wife, mother and graduate student, I had a deep desire to pay it forward through planned giving and designating it towards a fellowship. When I realized I could put in any small or large amount of funding toward a scholarship, without being harangued, I was all in! UT Dallas – Callier was where my second professional journey began, and it has been home to me for a “few” decades.
Why is the education of future clinicians and researchers important to you?
Education was my lifeline. Reflecting on growing up in a very low-income household, I know the struggles some students experience. Even in these circumstances, I knew education was one of the BEST, often the ONLY way to slowly walk away from poverty and into self-sufficiency.
Interested in supporting the Jackie Clark Audiology Fellowship?
Make a gift at: https://giving.utdallas.edu/CallierCenter and designate your gift to the “Jackie Clark Audiology Fellowship.”
