One is Good. Two is Better

With only two years between them, the sisters have walked nearly identical paths. Each graduated from Oak Hill Academy in West Point, before earning bachelor’s and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Mississippi University for Women. Today, both work as speech-language pathologists in an elementary school setting.

Graduating with her undergraduate degree in just three years, Tally paved the way for the Wilemon sisters. While she first planned to pursue physical therapy, she soon discovered the field required helping patients work through painful recoveries. The reality shifted both her heart and her career goals. She would explore different universities but ultimately stayed relatively close to home and chose to pursue her degrees at The W, drawn by the community and personal attention offered at 1100 College Street. A few years later, Tally would make the same decision again for graduate school.

“I ultimately decided on The W for graduate school. Because it was smaller, I knew the professors and we had relationships from my time spent with them during my undergraduate classes,” said Tally.

Quickly noting that she was not naming a favorite, but Tally admits she was particularly drawn to to Joy Townsend, assistant professor emerita of Speech-Language Pathology. “When you’re first getting into those [speech-language pathology] classes and you’re learning, she was always patient to answer questions and so kind, really easy to talk to.”

DÉJÀ VU
When Nabors arrived in Columbus, she and Tally were reunited under the same roof while sharing an apartment. Tally was entering graduate school while Nabors pursued her undergraduate degree.

“I got to see her go through grad school before I did—the dedication, the late nights, the balance of clinical work and classes,” she said. “It prepared me in ways I didn’t even realize.”

Nabors remembers abundantly searching to find her path in life, as most college students do. Her original goal was to simply get a degree. She gained some interest and familiarity in speechpathology by watching her sister pursue her degrees and ultimately decided to do the same. What she didn’t expect to find was a passion.

“We had to do so many hours of observation. And honestly, it is the best thing that students can do,” described Nabors.

She remembers watching a young boy, visibly frustrated, struggling to communicate his needs. Then, through the patience and skill of the speech-language pathologist in the room, something shifted. The child’s face lit up as he finally expressed himself.

“In that moment, I knew this was the work I wanted to do,” she said. “Some kids are incredibly intelligent, but they can’t communicate what they want. That’s heartbreaking.”

Just as Tally, Nabors would explore her graduate school options and choose to return to The W.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Nabors described graduate school as intense and invaluable. She clearly understood the demand of the program, thanks to her stellar academic role model sister. She knew rigorous course work, late nights, long clinical hours and a life of academic discipline was ahead.

Recalling one of her early moments in graduate school, she looked around the class and said to herself, “I know what’s coming,” remembering all the nights and weekends when she would go have fun while her sister stayed home to study.

Both Nabors and Tally valued the ability to pursue their advanced degree in speech-language pathology at the same university in which they received their undergraduate degree, noting that all programs are extremely competitive with limited options available in the region.

“Grad school prepares you not only in the clinic, but with real-world experience—seeing kids, working in medical settings—teaches you the most,” Nabors said.

The structure of a full year of in person university experience followed by a year of clinical rotations prepares all students for real-world practice. For the sisters, the experience provided insights, direction and confidence in their future.

Tally entered graduate school certain she would work on the medical side of speech-language pathology. Her clinical rotation would change that. Tally said, “I went into grad school thinking I’d work with the elderly. One school rotation later, I realized kids were where my heart was. The joy you see in children when they realize the progress they’ve made—that’s why I do this.”

BETTER TOGETHER
Today, both Nabors and Tally are continuing to feed the passions that were discovered while at The W. Tally serves as the speech-language pathologist at East Union Attendance Center in Blue Springs, seeing students ranging from primarily pre-k through sixth grade. Most of her students experience developmental delays or are working to improve their articulation.

A most recent success story of hers involved a student who had substitution errors. Think switching a W for an R sound. Tally credits the student with being very determined and motivated. By the end of the year, the student had reached all his goals. The results were confidence in the classroom and confidence among peers. Plus, better grades and one happy mother.

Nabors began a new position this fall with Bright Hope Therapy working within the West Point Consolidated School District. After working in several settings and spending time as a mother, Nabors returned to the educational setting because she also enjoys the pediatric population.

“The main issues faced in schools are articulation and language,” explained Nabors. “Articulation is basically teaching students to say the correct sound. To me, it’s pretty concrete and structured.”

“I love teaching them these sounds. And when they figure it out, they get excited. Their families usually get super excited.”

While they may not live under the same roof anymore, they haven’t stopped influencing each other. Their family bond has grown into a professional bond.

“It’s neat to share this passion with my sister,” Tally said. “We bounce ideas off each other when we get stuck on a case. Sometimes she’ll call me and say, ‘What would you do about this?’ We learn from each other constantly.”

SEEING DOUBLE
While Nabors and Tally never physically sat in the same classroom that doesn’t mean it didn’t cause some confusion. Nabors remembers sitting in an undergraduate classroom when the professor called upon her, but used the name Michael Ann. She answered without skipping a beat, leaving the classroom puzzled. She then had to stop class and explain. It all ended with a good laugh and would not be the last time it happened.

While the impact the sisters have had on each other’s lives may be immeasurable, what is certain is that their time at The W filled them with knowledge, passion and confidence. Each day, they boldly and successfully change lives, helping the next generation overcome daily obstacles. Twice the dedication now means twice the smiles, twice the victories— for students and their families alike.