Many of our communication sciences and disorders undergraduate students are members of the Illinois State University (ISU) National Student Speech Language Hearing Associations (NSSLHA) chapter. Sarah Sadler, one of our first year Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) graduate students, decided to go on in the organization and has been elected the vice president for SLP Programming of the National NSSLHA Chapter. Her two-year term, which she views as a great opportunity to grow both as a student of SLP and as a leader in professional field, began July 2017 and will continue until July 2019.
Sadler has always loved being actively involved in a leadership position. Previously, she was elected to the executive board of ISU’s chapter of NSSHLA. Now, in her position as vice president of SLP Programming, she is planning multiple events that encourage students to get active and participate within the fields of speech pathology and audiology. The Knowledge Bowl and the NSSLHA booth at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention are just some of the events she is excited to offer to other CSD students.
With all the fun and excitement this position brings, hard work and dedication are also needed. Every Sunday night, Sadler and her team work on projects and event details throughout the week. This allows her to utilize her time management skills, as well as recognize the support of her cohort in graduate school. Sadler shared that this has been a wonderful experience and it is just the beginning. She encourages other students to get involved and not be intimidated by opportunities that may seem out of reach because, “you might surprise yourself.” If anyone has further questions or comments, Sadler can be reached through email at nsslhaslp@gmail.com.
