International Cleft/Craniofacial Congress

The Voice, Resonance and Outcomes Team of Western Michigan University (Sans 4 Members)

Between May 6 and May 9, I had the distinct pleasure of presenting one of the final draft presentations of my research, which I have entitled "Clinical and Statistical Significance between Overall Nasalance and Trimmed Selection of Stable Syllable Repetition," at the 12th International Congress on Cleft Lip/Palate and Related Craniofacial Anomalies in Orlando, Florida.  I was thrilled to meet so many wonderful speech-language pathologists, orthodontists, surgeons, psychologists, and other allied health professions who are dedicated to such a wonderful field and enjoyed the opportunity to contribute.  I plan on using what I have learned through this experience in future research and thank the Lee Honors College and the Cleft Palate Foundation for the opportunity to attend.  To see more, please visit my projects page and view my academic website.

Global Engagement Summit

Opening Banquet with GES Staff Member Joseph Lautrup

The Global Engagement Summit, an international conference hosted by Northwestern University and sponsored by Airfrance.  It is described as

"...the only conference of its kind for students, as it not only provides them with the tangible skills and resources to move beyond good intentions towards action, but also equips them to think more critically about their efforts and ask the right questions when going out and making change in the world."

I was fortunate enough to be selected for this honor due to my previous work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies volunteer and my new non-profit initiative, entitled "I Still Care."

National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Oral Presentation in Progress at NCUR

After a lengthy process involving a nomination from Associate Professor Helen Sharp, PhD, CCC-SLP of the Speech Pathology and Audiology Department at Western Michigan University, acceptance by Associate Dean Carla Koretsky, PhD, and acceptance by the National Council on Undergraduate Research, I'm thankful to say that I emerged alongside three other WMU undergraduate students who were able to represent the institution at the 27th Annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse and only one other WMU student to be permitted a full-length oral presentation.

This fully-funded opportunity allowed me to present preliminary data from the Voice, Resonance and Outcomes Laboratory's Nasalance project and, specifically, the subject of my Honors Thesis - nasalance sample trimming.  The presentation was a great success and presented numerous opportunities to learn alongside my peers who seek to continue research throughout the years.