Students in Cohort 13 of the Master of Science in Communication Disorders program received their white coats on January 11th during a meaningful ceremony that included family, friends, and suppporters. The white coat symbolizes the beginning of their independent clinical journey on campus at the Stockton Speech and Hearing Clinic.

MSCD Program faculty and alumni presented at the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention in Boston, Massachusetts in November. Congratulations to faculty members Dr. Phillip Hernandez, Dr. Amanda Copes, MaryAnn Schiattarella, and Dr. Monika Pawlowska, contributing researcher, on their poster presentation, "Developing a Social Justice Curriculum for a Graduate CSD Program."  Congratulations also to alumni Jennifer McIlvaine,  Gabriella Wendling, and Lauren Padula (not pictured) on their presentation, "Macros, Voice Control, and Accessibility: Oh My! Getting out of the Woods with Accessibility Features."  

Last week, our MSCD 2^nd year graduate student, Elisabeth Martin, had the honor of hosting a tour sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Camden County East Youth Council.  We are proud of Elisabeth’s service outside of the university.  #makingadifference #StocktonMSCD

“The past two days I have had the opportunity to chaperone the 6th annual Ivy League tour that is hosted by the NAACP Camden County East Youth Council. I had the honor of planning the 1st Ivy League tour when I was a senior in high school, so it was wonderful to see how far the tour has come. We had the pleasure of touring Cornell University, Ithaca College, Dartmouth College, Brown University, and Albright College with 22 high school students from various schools in Camden County. All of the students are leaders and committed to service and advocacy in their communities. It was a very educational experience and a great way to expose students to all forms of higher education.”

Dr. Phillip Hernández, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

In May 2023, the American Board of Child Language and Language Disorders (ABCLLD) approved Dr. Hernández as a Board-Certified Specialist in Child Language. Dr. Hernández's BCS-CL areas of emphasis include Bilingual Speakers, English as a Second Language, and Cultural & Linguistic Diversity. Clinical Specialty Certification enables a speech-language pathologist who demonstrates advanced knowledge, skills, and experience in a specified area of practice to be formally identified as a Board-Certified Specialist (BCS) in that area of practice.

On April 14, 2023, New Jersey Speech-Language-Hearing Association Multicultural Committee members presented to MSCD students on the topic “Cultural Responsiveness: We are all Biased”. Cohort 12 students were required to research their family trees and complete the “Who am I?” assignment. The goal of the assignment was for students to continue to expand their cultural awareness by exploring their own backgrounds. Furthermore, Julia Handerhan and Genesaret Mora, cohort 11 Hispanic Emphasis Specialization students, presented “The Overrepresentation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education” as their HES capstone project. Lastly, the student symposium culminated with all involved enjoying ethnic dishes representing their cultural provided by students and faculty.

On March 31, 2023, students in the SLPs in the Schools course and Hispanic Emphasis Specialization (HES) student, Elizabeth Arce, discussed speech, language, and literacy development with parents of preschoolers in Pleasantville Public Schools. Hands on speech, language, and literacy activities were provided to families in English and Spanish. At the end of the workshop, the families were provided with books donated by the students to take home to practice the speech, language, and literacy activities and strategies that were demonstrated by the MSCD graduate students.

On March 25th, 2023 1^st and 2^nd year MSCD students along with BSHS undergraduates, volunteered at the Silver Linings Senior Workshop. The event was hosted by the First Presbyterian Church of Tuckerton, New Jersey. Students performed cognitive assessments and hearing screenings as well as educational information to over 60 older adult community members at the workshop.

MSCD graduate and BSHS undergraduates participated in Health Sciences Professional Networking on March 29^th. Its purpose was both to thank agencies that have hosted Stockton students for clinical training, and to introduce students to potential employers. ( Pictured upcoming 2023 graduates from cohort 11 along with Adam Nadle, Regional Director for Patient Care Therapy Group and Stockton alum)

The 1^st year students received their white coats on January 13^th during a ceremony symbolizing the beginning of their clinical journey on campus at the Stockton Speech and Hearing Clinic. (Cohort 12 pictured in front of the Speech and Hearing Clinic)

Congratulations Genesaret Mora, on being one of two Hispanic Caucus of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Scholarship recipients.

“Hi! My name is Genesaret Mora, and I am a proud Dominican American from Clifton, NJ. I am also a second -year graduate student in Stockton University’s Master of Science in Communication Disorders-Hispanic Emphasis Specialization (MSCD-HES) program. In addition to coursework and my clinical practicum, I work as a graduate assistant and volunteer for Hispanic community engagement activities. As a Hispanic student with a special interest in cultural and linguistic diversity, I aim to advocate for and represent my community in the field of communication disorders. I look forward to my future as a bilingual SLP. ¡Muchas Gracias!”

You ain't seen stuffing yet! The MSCD Cohort 11 graduate students got into the spirt of Thanksgiving by hosting a Friendsgiving during their Advocacy presentations. Faculty and friends from Cohort 12 were invited to take part in the festivities. Everyone dined on a variety of pot-luck dishes and all attendees reflected on the bond that forms with their school family.

#MSCD #Stockton #GradSchool #Friendsgiving #Traditions #Grateful #Cohort11 #Cohort12

The MSCD Program got into the fall spirit by having a pumpkin decorating contest with a twist. Graduate students from Cohort 12 were instruced to pick a book and decorate a pumpkin to resemble a character from the chosen book to promote literacy and the read aloud 15 minutes, a non-profit organization highlighting the importance of reading for 15 minutes daily. You will find a variety of character pumpkins including the famous Ursula from the "Little Mermaid" and "Cordury" the bear. The second-year graduate students from Cohort 11 were asked to serve as judges to determine the winner. The pumpkin characters were on display in the lobby of the Stockton Speech and Hearing Clinic through the month of November.                           

#Stockton #MSCD #LiteracyPumpkins #ASHA #ReadAloud15minutes

Brain Creations

Students in the Master of Science in Communication Disorders created "their brains" through the use of air-dry clay and various arts and crafts materials in Dr. Stacy Cassel's Neurological Bases of Communication Disorders course during the first week of class.

National Alpha Eta Student Research Award

A 2022 alumna of the Master of Science in Communication Disorders program, Alyssa Erin L. De Guzman, received a National Student Research Award from Alpha Eta for her graduate program research titled: Experiences of Racially/Ethnically Diverse Undergraduates Students Pursuing Speech-Language Pathology. Alyssa was nominated by Dr. Monika Pawlowska, Research Faculty of the MSCD Department.