The 2022 scholarship recipient is Sarah Ellis, a second-year graduate student at University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
This year, like past years, I received over 130 applications, and each year it gets harder for me to make a choice, and I am in awe of the compassion and desire to serve expressed by so many of the applicants.
For some applicants, their exposure to the field of speech-language pathology came about when a family member required SLP services. But for Sarah, her exposure to the field came from her own injury in 2014, when she was struck on her bike and suffered a traumatic brain injury. As a cyclist, myself, I can only imagine the arduous recovery that was required, but in Sarah’s own words: “Although this accident was physically, emotionally, and mentally challenging, I am grateful that it led me to the transformative journey of personal growth that has culminated in my pursuit of becoming an SLP.”
Like many of the applicants, Sarah has a desire to provide services to underserved populations, and after graduation hopes to return to Taos, New Mexico, and incorporate her passion for integrative medicine into her work as an SLP. I hope that Sarah will continue to be transformed by her work as a speech-language pathologist, and she is correct in her observation that communication is essential to every aspect of life.
I want to thank every student who took the time to apply for the scholarship, and assure you, regardless the number of years you spend working in our field, you will never stop learning, and if your work is driven by a desire to help others, you will be forever fulfilled.
A loss in the ability to communicate or swallow, whether sudden or gradual, can be a life-altering experience for patients and their families, and I see in the comments from students that they are eager to accept this challenge, and, like me, bring to their patients the heART and science of speech-language and swallowing service.
Mary Spremulli, MA, CCC-SLP, Owner, Voice Aerobics, LLC
My Mission: To enlist individuals in their treatment, and help them express their personality & spirit through voice. To educate and empower. Mary Spremulli, MA, CCC-SLP * FiTOUR® Group Exercise Instructor * Voice Aerobics® A Whole Body Approach to Voice Practice
Voice Aerobics the heART and Science of Voice Practice