Empowering voices,
advancing health, inspiring change.

Tara Fullmer is an aspiring speech-language pathologist, experienced researcher, and trained vocalist, passionate about democratizing client-centered care for persons with communication and swallowing impairments. Currently a senior, studying at the University of Florida under Dr. Sharon DiFino, Tara researches topics at the intersection of communication and public health. As a global citizen with pivotal, personal experiences with people with speech impairments, Tara is driven to empower voices, inspire inclusion, and ultimately advance insights and innovation in communication treatment.

In addition to taking and excelling at her speech and language courses, Tara is conducting a study titled, "Unsafe at Work: Exploring the Public Health Crisis Among Immigrant Workers in the United States." Her research investigates the heightened risks and vulnerabilities that immigrant workers face in workplace safety. She is committed to following the principles of evidence-based practice to best serve her clients. Tara also has extensive experience shadowing speech pathologists through the Ascension Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center in Pensacola Florida and the MediGators Virtual Shadowing Program, which has provided her with greater insight into individualized and holistic care. She is also a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association.

Tara brings her rich music background as a trained vocalist to her speech pathology work. She currently sings with the Choral Society of Pensacola and is a soloist at community events. Her deep understanding of singing aspects like breathing, vocal control and projection, articulation, and resonance and phonation, parallels many aspects of speech therapy. She plans to incorporate music into her therapy to increase client interest and therapy efficacy. 

Previous to her studies, Tara worked in various project management and customer support roles in the construction sector. She also taught singing lessons to children ages 4-11 for over four years. Through these career-building experiences, Tara increased her time and project organization skills and cultivated the soft skills required to provide personalized, effective care to her future speech-language clients.

Tara is also dedicated to the community. She volunteers with Miracle League, a baseball league for children with disabilities and has served as a Foster Care parent. Her involvement with these organizations has deepened her understanding of diverse individual needs and strengthened her advocacy for children and families. In all that she does, Tara is an advocate for the underrepresented. She is focused on fostering culturally inclusive environments where all people can succeed in accessing and engaging in communication care.