Ms. Buenaluz is Speech-Language Pathologist, or SLP, at Santa Barbara High School. This is her first year working in this position at this grade level but enjoys working with all grades. She just came here from Hawaii right before this new school year. Before becoming an SLP, she had planned to be a massage therapist in a Hawaiian massage style called Lomi Lomi. After a few months of massage training, she went on to college to major in nursing because she had always wanted a career where she could help people. 

During college she decided to take courses in linguistics. It was in these elective courses where she learned her love for language. She took this new love for language and started researching what career she could go into that included the study of language, while also keeping in mind she wanted to be able to help others. It was in her research that she found the field of speech pathology. She decided to switch her major from nursing to speech pathology and she never looked back. She went on to earn her Master’s degree and began practicing as a speech pathologist in medical clinics and schools. 

Outside of work, Ms.Buenaluz loves to cook. She tells me that if she wasn’t an SLP she would go to Culinary school and open up her own restaurant. She also loves to travel, scuba dive and stand up paddle. She enjoys music and plays the guitar and ukulele and, Pre-COVID, loved to go to live events such as concerts and comedy shows.