Thiel students receive diversity award at speech language hearing association convention

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- The Thiel College Chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA), under the direction of Jeanette Benigas, Ph.D. was awarded Most Impactful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Focused Advocacy Effort at the annual convention of the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association, held this spring.

The Thiel College Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders hosted the interdisciplinary professional development opportunity, “Creating Safe(r) Spaces for Trans and Gender Non-Confirming Patient, Clients, and Students; Trauma Informed Rapport Building Across Settings,” with over 110 students and professionals nationwide in attendance. Following the event, the Thiel College NSSLHA chapter invited speech language pathology students in attendance to stay for a 30-minute advocacy discussion with the presenter, A.C. Goldberg, Ph.D. Students were able to ask questions and learn more about profession-specific issues related to trauma informed care.

"I learned that it’s important to be able to advocate for people of all different backgrounds and experiences," Sarah Walker ’23 said.

The award highlights the Department’s commitment to the strategic plan for Thiel College. With 340 chapters nationwide, NSSLHA is the only national student organization for graduate and undergraduate pre-professionals studying communication sciences and disorders recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. There are 25 NSSLHA chapters in the state of Pennsylvania who were eligible to compete for this award.

The communication sciences and disorders undergraduate major at Thiel College serves the higher education needs of pre-professionals as they advance their career and reach toward their personal enrichment goals. This interdisciplinary curriculum prepares students to compete for admission to graduate school and prepare for a career in the profession. The curriculum is designed for students to complete their undergraduate studies and immediately begin the fifteen month speech-language pathology program.

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