An Anguillian, with a PhD in Speech Pathology, among other professional qualifications, is desirous, one day, of returning home and rendering some consultancy services.
She is Dr. Amber Franklin, daughter of Steven and Sheryl Franklin, both of whom were school teachers in Anguilla before migrating to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where they furthered their studies.
The first of four siblings, Dr. Franklin was born in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and at nine months old accompanied her parents to Canada where she grew up. “I went to McMaster University which is in Hamilton, Ontario,” she told The Anguillian. “I got a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and then I decided to become a Speech Pathologist. So I went to Detriot, Michigan, in 1996 and studied for a year there – and then went to the University of Rhode Island from 1997 to 1999 to get my Masters in Speech Pathology.”
She continued: “Interestingly, growing up, there was a lady at my church in Toronto who always said, ‘You should be a Speech Therapist’. I was to go to medical school, but one day I was watching an Oprah Winfrey show and she had a speech pathologist on her show. I thought that looked like a very interesting profession so I went to the Careers Centre at McMaster University and started doing some research and followed in that path. So I got my Masters in 1999 at the University of Rhode Island and then I stayed on at that same university as a Reseacher. In that capacity, I was working with preschool children with language disorders. After teaching some classes, for three years, I was encouraged and decided to go and get my PhD. So I went to the University of Washington, in Seattle, started my PhD in 2002 and finally finished in 2009. I stayed at that university for two years as an Acting Assistant Professor.
“I was supervising and training students at the clinic on how to be speech pathologists, but in 2011 I decided to go on a ten-year track job that was more research-based. I got a job at Miami University which is in Oxford, Ohio. It is called Miami University but it is in Oxford, Ohio, and I have been there since 2011. Miami University is different from the University of Miami in Florida.”
Asked about her future plans, Dr. Franklin replied: “The research that I do is in the area of people with accents – particularly people who learn English as a second language…and I study how they pronounce English sounds based on their native language background. I stayed away from Anguilla for fourteen years. I came back in Christmas 2014 with my husband [Dana Miller] and couldn’t believe I was gone that long. I am back again. My grandmother, Ina Franklin’s funeral, is what brought me here.
“But I am thinking that I would like to come back next summer to do a research study here, because I am very interested in the specific vowel sounds coming from Anguillians when they are speaking the dialect of English. I have been asking my uncles and aunts what are some of the unique variations in Anguillian English that they notice. For example, I was told that some people don’t distinguish between vs and ws. I am curious whether people from a certain part of the island do that, more than another part – East End versus West End – or is that found everywhere. Another thing that I have noticed is, and would like to look into is, for example, the word ‘hot’– like a hot day or the word ‘heart’ – like you have a warm heart. What I would be doing is recording native Anguillians who really never left the island for educational pursuits and who are more true to the Anguillian dialect; record them saying a variety of words; and then analyse the sounds in those words and publish a paper on it. I would really love to do that.”
Dr. Franklin indicated an interest in doing some actual speech therapy work in Anguilla to help children in particular. “I thought about it and again when I fell in love with the island – on the visit with my husband – we thought what a wonderful island it is; and I have wondered about the role of a Speech Pathologist on the island – for example, could you make a career out of being in Anguilla alone, or would I have to go to a variety of islands to make a career out of it. But I have not ruled out the possibility of [coming to the island].”
If anything, she might wish to serve as a visiting consultant, one day. In the meantime, she is taken up with the loveliness and rich heritage of Anguilla which she took for granted in the intervening years of her life. She saw some of that richness and legacy at Heritage Collection Museum at East End. “It is wonderful and beautiful to see,” she commented.
