Even though Janie Savelkoul grew up and went to school in Mohall, Minot has long been an important part of her life. With grandparents living in town, she spent much of her childhood in the Magic City, eventually choosing Minot State University for college and building a life and career in Minot.
For many students heading to college, choosing a major can be difficult. For Janie, it wasn’t. Her choice to study speech-language pathology came from several reasons.
“My brother has autism and is nonverbal, so growing up, we spent a lot of time around kids with special needs. I got to see many professionals, such as speech-language pathologists, special education teachers and physical therapists, who work with kids,” said Janie.
She added, “That’s what initially drew me to the profession. I wanted to work with children, but when I realized that you could also work with adults, I truly began to develop a passion for the field. I have a soft spot for the adults, and that’s where my biggest passion is.”
Janie’s decision to attend Minot State University marked an important step in her professional journey. The program not only supported her academic growth but also helped shape the skills she would later bring into her clinical practice.
“Minot State offers a great speech-language pathology program. It gave me a good education and background for being able to be successful in my career,” said Janie. That foundation prepared Janie to begin her career as a speech-language pathologist, where she now puts those skills into practice every day.
As a speech-language pathologist at Trinity Health, Janie works with patients of all ages, whether they are recovering from a hospital stay and working toward independence at home or undergoing a combination of physical, occupational and speech therapies. Being able to help many different age groups is something she thoroughly enjoys about the job.
“The main thing I enjoy is helping people in all kinds of different ways. We help kids learn how to say words and learn social skills. We help adults after strokes, traumatic brain injuries, cancer and all these things that can impact swallowing, cognition, thinking and memory. I enjoy being able to improve patients’ quality of life and their ability to communicate,” said Janie.
With ties to the area and a career rooted in helping others, serving the Minot community is especially meaningful to Janie. What began as time spent visiting family and attending college locally has grown into a long-term commitment to providing care close to home for the community she now calls her own.
“It’s really meaningful to meet people every day on the job who know somebody you know. They know your family and friends from all over the state. Minot is a close-knit community, and I love being able to make a difference for someone’s family member,” said Janie.
Through her work at Trinity Health, Janie continues to build a career shaped by purpose and personal connection. Serving patients of all ages, she finds fulfillment in helping individuals and families navigate some of life’s most challenging moments, right here in the community she calls home.