Full Circle: Children's Center Alumnus to Begin Career in Speech-Language Pathology
Tue, 07/14/2026 - 09:24am | By: David Tisdale
Cade Culpepper
He knew what he wanted to say. But the words didn鈥檛 come so easily for the young Cade Culpepper鈥攚hen and if they did.
Until about age three, the Laurel, Miss., native experienced a language delay that presented a communication challenge for him. Typically, by 12 months of age, children say their first word or words if no speech or language challenges are present.
Culpepper鈥檚 family enrolled him at The Children鈥檚 Center for Communication and Development at 91少女集中营 in the early 2000s, where its dedicated team of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and developmental specialists employed proven, research-based, cross-disciplinary interventions that helped free his voice.
The center is equipped to address the multiple special needs and diagnoses of children enrolled in its programming at no cost to their families. These include challenges related to speech, hearing or language differences, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, rare genetic diagnoses and other conditions related to premature birth.
After graduating from the center, Culpepper thrived academically, finishing high school at Laurel Christian School in 2019, and moved on to study at Jones College as an honors student. He transferred to Southern Miss and its Honors College, choosing the place where his academic journey began. After earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree, he pursued a master鈥檚 degree in speech-language pathology at the university, graduating this past May.
鈥淚f someone asked me (as a child enrolled at the center) where I went to school, I would tell them I went to Southern Miss,鈥� Culpepper fondly recalls. 鈥淲as I completely wrong there? At any rate, that eventually came true.鈥�
Culpepper says those formative years at the center shaped the passion he鈥檒l bring as a speech-language pathologist, which begins in the coming school year at the Laurel Magnet School of the Arts.
鈥淚 think there's something very poetic about needing speech-language intervention growing up, having that therapy open doors to new possibilities, and then using those same possibilities to go back into the same field that helped me, that shaped me so much with some of the same people that helped me so early on in my life,鈥� he said.
Culpepper is a firm believer in the right of every child to education, noting that 鈥渓anguage is such a fundamental part of that.鈥�
鈥淓ducation wouldn't be possible without the base of language in which learning occurs,鈥� he said. 鈥淰erbal communication and nonverbal communication sit at the very core of learning, so the role of the speech-language pathologist is crucial to a child's overall trajectory in the case of speech or language concerns.鈥�
Culpepper intends to be as staunch an advocate for those with speech-language challenges as his family, friends, therapists and teachers were for him.
鈥淟earning needs to be tailored to the needs of the individual student to maximize success,鈥� he explained. 鈥淲hichever methods work best for the student are those that need to be implemented.鈥�
鈥淔or example, I remember working with a student and discovering that hands-on play with a mouth model allowed the student to have a better idea of the motor movement needed for the sound. Over the next several sessions, the sound just came alive.鈥�
鈥淎 supportive atmosphere and repeating the methods that work can go such a long way,鈥� Culpepper continued. 鈥淎lso, collaboration is an important part of the therapy experience. The Children鈥檚 Center hits the nail on the head with that, engaging various professionals to work with the children in the same room: SLPs, physical therapists, occupational therapists and assistants, among others. I wish it were feasible for other educational settings to get that same level of consistent collaboration.鈥�
Children鈥檚 Center Director Sarah Rouse Myers said, 鈥淐ade brings such a passionate drive to his pursuit of helping children. He understands what it's like to be unable to participate fully in life due to communication issues, and he is empathetic and incredibly bright. He brings a resiliency to his work that鈥檚 needed as an SLP, supporting families and children with additional needs.鈥�
Ladell Kraft, a retired Children鈥檚 Center staff member, concurs with Myers. Kraft provided speech-language therapy and instructional services to preschoolers in a group therapy setting at the center during Culpepper鈥檚 time there, as well as clinical supervision of graduate students.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a pleasure to bear witness to Cade's graduation from Southern Miss and his entry into his chosen profession of speech pathology,鈥� Kraft said. 鈥淗e鈥檒l bring unique experiences and insights into his practice.鈥�
From that young boy learning to unlock his own voice to the man who hopes to help others find theirs, Culpepper credits Southern Miss for shaping who he is today.
鈥淚n a way, I experienced Southern Miss and graduated from it three times, including at the center,鈥� he further reflected. 鈥淭hat, along with the journey itself, is a story I couldn't have written on my own.鈥�
Learn more about The Children鈥檚 Center for Communication and Development at Southern Miss.
About the College of Nursing and Health Professions
The College of Nursing and Health Professions at 91少女集中营 prepares students for rewarding careers
in healthcare through innovative, evidence-based education and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Comprised of four academic units鈥攖he School of Health Professions, the School of Leadership
and Advanced Nursing Practice, the School of Professional Nursing Practice, and the
School of Speech and Hearing Sciences鈥攖he college offers a wide range of programs
in nursing, audiology, speech-language pathology, public health, athletic training,
recreational therapy, kinesiotherapy and other health-related disciplines. Through
exemplary academic programs and a commitment to student success, the college prepares
highly qualified professionals equipped to improve health outcomes and advance healthcare
at the local, state, national and global levels.