In a major like Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (or any pre-professional medical field) it's often very likely graduate school will follow. For my major, Audiology, graduate school must be completed in order to practice in the field. Meaning, it's common for people to go to graduate school right after completing their undergraduate studies as they won't be able to find much work with a general undergraduate degree. Up until this past week, it's weighed very heavily on my mind that I will have to somehow get into a graduate program at a very competitive time for my field of study after being worn out these past four years of undergraduate science-based rigor. Maybe it was the fact that my professors were pounding me with work or the pressure of knowing I have to take six finals in just three weeks, but the semester had me feeling down and out and quite underwhelmed with the overall education I was getting on a day to day basis. I was worried that graduate school would be something simply out of reach for me.
The 2016 American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this year. I had been planning on going all semester, but thought money may be too tight to go. Also, since Bloomsburg University was one of the schools to go on strike this semester, I had strike recovery classes to attend on top of the six I already have daily. But, with such an incredible opportunity at hand and so close to Bloomsburg, I felt I couldn't miss out. I am so glad I didn't.
The ASHA convention kicked off this past Thursday with keynote speaker, Drew Dudley. Drew is the founder of Day One Leadership and works with organizations around the world to empower people in their leadership skills. He shared his "lollipop story", which has quickly become one of the most famous TEDx talks:
Now, I knew his speech was going to be great because I'm a TEDx talk fanatic, but man, it really hit home. It is so often we don't realize each other's leadership strength and recognize it when we see it. I so needed to hear this.
The rest of the convention was filled with oral seminars addressing the cutting edge research currently being done in audiology, a career fair, and poster presentations. I was also sure to take advantage of the graduate school fair the convention held. I approached many different schools and gained a substantial amount of knowledge about numerous different programs, and even switched around where my top choices would be. But also, I met new, incredible people. On Friday, a frazzled woman came and sat where myself and a friend were having our lunch break. She pulled out a TracPhone and introduced herself, seeming anxious. When we asked if everything was okay, the woman (who we now knew as Susan) explained she had lost her phone about an hour ago and needed to figure out how to activate this new one she had gotten from a local drug store. We helped, lent her my friend's phone to make a call, and did all we could. She was so immensely grateful, she offered to write both of us a letter of recommendation. I think she had attended the TEDx talk, and I was far more grateful to have met her than she could have known.
The convention was exactly what I needed, and has inspired me to push as hard as I possibly can to become an audiologist. This point in the semester is always tough, but these mini-victories cannot be taken for granted. Always remember to appreciate your own greatness and recognize that of others. We can do this.
