Kevin O'Hare '86,'90

When Kevin O'Hare '86,'90 was just four years old his mother had a stroke which changed his life forever.

Although she survived the stroke, she received several therapeutic interventions including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy throughout the remainder of her life. This pivotal experience inspired Kevin to pursue a career as a Speech-Language Pathologist.

He has a very successful private practice serving children in both New Jersey and New York, and his specialties are working with clients who have autism, motor speech disorders, and receptive/expressive language disorders.

Kevin is one of the newest members of the Kean Medallion Society, a distinguished group of individuals who have chosen to leave a legacy by including a gift in their estate plans to benefit the Kean University Foundation. Through a charitable bequest in his will, Kevin will endow a scholarship for graduate students in speech pathology at his alma mater , Kean University.

The Kevin O'Hare Endowed Scholarship Fund for Speech Language Pathology is intended to help increase the diversity of applicants to the speech pathology program. When speaking about why he decided to establish this scholarship through his will, Kevin shared, "It's essential for children to work with practitioners who look like they do in terms of gender identity, race, and ethnicity. The field of speech language pathology has traditionally attracted female practitioners. My hope is that this scholarship will inspire more men and people of color to enter the field of speech pathology in order to help all children realize their full potential."

Kevin certainly has a heart to help others and noted that establishing a scholarship in his will is a way to "pay it forward" so that future students at Kean can pursue a degree in the field of speech pathology. He is proud to be a "two-time" Kean University alumnus where he earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He is grateful for his time at Kean and believes it has prepared him very well for a long, lucrative satisfying career.

Finally, when Kevin was asked why he decided to pursue a career as a speech language pathologist, he shared, "our voice and the language we speak are the strongest tools we have to express our emotions, thoughts, and ideas. I have focused my work on serving children with communication disorders to give my clients the power and freedom to express themselves clearly and fully, which will undoubtedly help them be successful in whatever profession they choose when they grow up."