Drs. Jessica Sullivan & Lauren Calandruccio Discuss the IMPACT Program

Join me in an important conversation with Drs. Jessica Sullivan and Lauren Calandruccio about the IMPACT Program which stands for Innovative Mentoring and Professional Advancement through Cultural Training.  The goal of the IMPACT Program is to increase diversity within the field of speech-language pathology and audiology.  These 2 audiologists have partnered together to offer a year-long mentoring program for students of color to elevate, support, educate, create networks, build confidence, and foster friendships.  Dr. Sullivan shares her own personal journey of becoming a black audiologist in a predominantly white profession and how her experiences shaped a formal mentoring program for undergraduate students.  Dr. Calandruccio shares her insight on the positive impact of providing students access to diverse professionals in the field the ways these connections have empowered her students. Take a listen and learn about the IMPACT Program’s priorities and the opportunities it has to offer and consider how this podcast can impact you to make a difference and implement a similar program.    

Dr. Jessica Sullivan is the interim Department Chair and assistant professor in the Communicative Sciences and Disorders department at Hampton.  Lauren Calandruccio is the Louis D. Beaumont University Professor II, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. 

For more information visit:

https://psychsciences.case.edu/faculty/lauren-calandruccio/

https://science.hamptonu.edu/csad/facstaff.cfm

https://www.instagram.com/impact_csd/

https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/Fulltext/2021/10000/Student_IMPACT__New_Program_Promotes_Diversity,.1.aspx

https://www.asha.org/siteassets/surveys/2020-member-and-affiliate-profile.pdf

For more information about Dr. Carrie Spangler- check out her Linktree at https://linktr.ee/carrie.spangler.

For transcripts of this episode- visit the podcast website at: https://empowearaudiology.buzzsprout.com

Transcript

[00:00:00] Announcer: Welcome to episode 38 of empowEAR Audiology with Dr. Carrie Spangler.
[00:00:16] Carrie: Welcome to the empowEAR Audiology podcast, which is part of the 3C Digital Media Network. My name is Dr. Carrie Spangler, and I am your host. I am a passionate audiologist with a lifelong journey of living with hearing challenges and this vibrant hearing world. This podcast is for professionals, parents, individuals, with your own challenges and those who want to be inspired.
[00:00:45] Thank you for listening. And I hope you will subscribe, invite others, some lesson and leave me a positive review. I also wanted to invite all of you to visit and engage in the conversation on the empowEAR Audiology Facebook group. Transcripts for each episode can be found at www.3, the number 3, C digital media network dot com under the empowEAR podcast tab.
[00:01:18] Now let's get started with today's episode. Podcast listeners. I hope you will enjoy this episode. As much as I did. This was such an engaging conversation with two incredible audiologists who are making a positive difference through a mentoring program called IMPACT, which stands for innovative mentoring and professional advancement Through cultural training, these two audiologists from two different universities and two different parts of the country have connected with a common interest in advocating for diversity in a profession where diversity is lacking. Let me share a little about these two amazing audiologists.
[00:02:08] Lauren Calandruccio is the Louis D. Beaumont University Professor II and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. She is the recipient of the Case Western Reserve University Carl F. Wittke Teaching Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education and the J. Bruce Jackson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. She also received the ASHA Fellow for her outstanding work in the areas of teaching, research/publications, and service to ASHA. Her research area is focused on speech perception, with an emphasis on understanding how linguistic experience contributes to performance.
[00:03:07] I also have Dr. Jessica Sullivan joining today. She is the interim department Chair and assistant professor in the Communicative Sciences and Disorders department at Hampton University. Dr. Sullivan is an affiliated research scientist at Haskins Laboratories at Yale University. She is co-director of the IMPACT program, a collaborative mentoring program between Case Western Reserve and Hampton University. Dr. Sullivan has served on numerous committees and boards with the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. Recently, she was elected to the Board of Director for the American Auditory Society. She received her Bachelors of Arts in 1996 from Louisiana State University and Masters in Deaf Education from Lamar University in 2000. She received her PhD in Communication Sciences at the University of Texas in Dallas in 2010. Dr. Sullivan has received numerous awards, honors, and grants.
In this podcast you will hear Lauren and Jessica share personal experiences of their students and how IMPACT has positively influenced at Case Western and Hampton University.
[00:04:29] We discuss some statistics which are eye opening, and I encourage you to visit the ASHA 2020 demographic and employment data that is linked in the show notes for a closer look at how particularly non diverse, the fields of speech pathology and audiolog really are. View the show notes for additional links for IMPACT.
[00:04:54] I hope this episode sparks you to think about promoting diversity in your current roles. Join me for the empowEAR Audiology podcast.
All right. I am so excited to welcome Dr. Jessica Sullivan and Dr. Lauren Calandruccio to the empowEAR Audiology podcast. Welcome both of you.
[00:05:17] Jessica: Thank you for having us.
[00:05:19] Lauren: Thank you so much for having us.
[00:05:20] I love your podcast.
[00:05:22] Carrie: Well, thank you. I appreciate you guys both being here today, and I'm really excited about today's episode, but before we kind of get into the meat of the episode, I always like to ask my audiology friends, how they ventured into the field of audiology would either of you want to start with just, how did you get here,
[00:05:48] Jessica? You want to start?
[00:05:52] Jessica: I was actually the kid and undergrad that couldn't decide between speech and audiology. And, um, it was a roundabout way, but at the same time, while I was taking my PharmD classes, my sorority used to volunteer at the Louisiana school for the deaf. So that being introduced to deaf culture kind of was my foray into getting like, okay, making my decision of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.
[00:06:25] Carrie: Okay, well, that's cool. What about you, Lauren? Anything that headed you that way
[00:06:31] Jessica: that way?
[00:06:33] Lauren: Um, I was an undergrad at Indiana university and I always liked health and science. Um, but I definitely did not go into this path intentionally. And I was probably a junior and had to declare a major. Um, and I had about four choices and speech and hearing was one.
[00:06:56] And my mother who worked in a school district and always heard about what a great job outlook it was for speech pathologists encouraged me to pursue speech pathology. And it was not the right fit for me. As soon as I started taking these classes, I realized that, and I always say, um, it was my undergraduate professor, Dr.
[00:07:16] Nick, Nick Hipson, who first showed me the cone of
[00:07:20] Jessica: light.
[00:07:25] Lauren: Um, and it was that audiology class that I was lik this, I would like this. Um, but honestly I was really unsure for a very long time. And now I feel like everything just worked out wonderfully because I love wherever I am at
[00:07:41] Carrie: Well, good. I always like to hear everybody's backstory. I've had they get into the field because most people you talk to them again, what are you?
[00:07:50] And I'm like, I'm an audiologist. And people are like, well, what's that? So to get into the field, I like to hear the backstory, but on today's episode, we are going to focus on the innovative and Collaborative program that you guys have developed called IMPACT, which stands for innovative mentoring and professional advancement through cultural training.
[00:08:12] And before we go deep into that program, I'd like to step back and maybe have you guys give a little bit of background about the program and, you know, from more of a 360 degree angle of how a lot of universities are, have a goal or a mission to promote equity and diversity and inclusion, but you also saw this need at your respective universities as it relates to undergraduate programs and graduate programs in speech and hearing.
[00:08:45] So why did you see that?
[00:08:51] Lauren: You want me to go? You can start. Okay.
[00:08:54] Jessica: Um, so it started with Lauren, I think called me. Did you call me? We kept or, yeah, she called me because she had an issue with a student, um, who had been her student in undergrad and went to grad school. So then we started, um, Our session on what the problem is in our profession for these students of color, who are really good students that are talented students.
[00:09:26] And if they land in the wrong seat, they can be beaten down or a students that don't get the chance. So this is pre George Floyd, pre pandemic. We're having these discussions and I think it was ASHA 2019. We actually started pen to paper, kind of staffing out this program of what it would look like for us.
[00:09:52] And we wrote the grant, submitted the grant in March of 2020, when we were
[00:10:00] Lauren: told to shut down
[00:10:02] Jessica: right before the shutdown was submitted, the grant and we were told life will be back to normal in two weeks. And it wasn't, and it's not. And we found that in August that we were funded, but by that point, we're knee deep into COVID.
[00:10:19] So we had to pivot. So you want to jump in Lauren? Yeah.
[00:10:23] Lauren: So, um, we, we first started talking about this because I reached out to Jessica because she's a black audiologist and a good friend of mine. Um, and I wanted to get her opinion and perspective on how the best way. I could mentor this student because some of what she was experiencing, I haven't experienced.
[00:10:46] Um, and so I could help her with certain things, but not with everything. And so I asked, just get to help me out and to give me advice. Um, and that kind of was what really precipitated a lot of conversations and, um, When we started having these conversations, Jessica and I both had just recently taken new appointments.
[00:11:07] Um, we like to say that we're twins. We have lots of similarities in our lives. And one of them is that we've worked at three different institutions. And so Jessica had just gotten to Hampton university. I had just gotten to Case Western reserve university, um, case Western reserve university is in the city of Cleveland
[00:11:26] It's right downtown. Um, and it's, it is in a black neighborhood. Um, and we are in a county that is 58% black. Um, and we are lucky to recruit diverse students here. But if we're going to recruit diverse students, I always say, we need to know how to mentor diverse students. Jessica works at Hampton university, which is a historically black college.
[00:11:50] Right. So many of her undergraduate students are black. Um, and so almost all 98% number
[00:11:58] Jessica: it's I think with Hampton also it's um, We have a lot of, um, well cared for students. So some of the social issues that some of the students that may have a Case may not be the same issues that our students have. Some of our students specifically come to Hampton because they've grown up in, um, predominantly white communities and they want that.
[00:12:29] Cultural experience and the nurturing part of it. And they're really high qualified students, but they still would have trouble getting into graduate programs.
[00:12:40] Lauren: And so we're trying to play off of, we had a situation here at Case that I'm very lucky that we have a lot of diverse students in the undergraduate body, but some of our minority students don't always feel included, um, at Case in general, Um, and Jessica was having an issue that she had really strong students, but they were still having difficulty getting into graduate school.
[00:13:05] So that was where the whole idea for IMPACT came together, that we could work together collaboratively and plan our strengths. Um, I always like to remind people. We have great options and opportunities at Case Western we're a really wonderful school, but we had no faculty of color. In fact, all of the communication sciences faculty are white females.
[00:13:29] Um, and so my students get to interact with the Hampton students and then the Hampton students also get to interact with our students and our faculty. And so we're really pulling on all of our best resources and joining together as a team.
[00:13:46] Carrie: So let's just take a step back. And I think this was an ASHA, just some data about our fields.
[00:13:53] right audiology and speech pathology. And I think it was about 18% of audiology students identify as nonwhite, according to a 2020 survey and about 8% of speech language pathology. Um, identify as nonwhite, according to 2019 data, um, which was part of an ASHA American speech language hearing association, uh, survey.
[00:14:18] Why do you think that is? As far as I, you know, these current statistics and our field being that low?
[00:14:31] Jessica: Well, I think you see a flip. And even some of the HBCUs, you're going to see the same flip, where you can see a pretty diverse undergrad population, and then it flips to the graduate school. So a lot of graduate programs are homogeneous, they all look the same.
[00:14:52] Um, and I've been in situations where I've worked at predominantly white institutions. And if they say, oh, well, we need to think about diversity. They are going to go. And they're just going to cherry pick one kid who doesn't stack up and look like the other kids admit them, then they're this, they're the problem child.
[00:15:14] They're those person that is always the student of concern. And then next thing you know, they don't finish. So it's a lack of mentoring and a lack of focus on mentoring, I think at the graduate level. Would you agree that. Part of the problem, Lauren?
[00:15:37] Lauren: I think there's a, I think there are so many problems, right?
[00:15:42] It's part of the problem, but, um, just to go back to the numbers Carrie, right? Like 96% of ASHA's constituents are female and 92% of them are white. And so I always like to tell people, you know, the number of times I hear someone tell me I got interested in speech pathology. Um, neither Hampton nor Case Western has an AUD program, I should say.
[00:16:09] So we have, we have a PhD program, a clinical master's degree for speech path and then an undergraduate program. Um, They, you know, so many of the students say I got interested because my mom's an SLP. My aunt's an SLP. Well, if 96% of them are white, right. They're telling their children, their nieces who are also white.
[00:16:34] Right. And so. Since certain groups of color in this country have less access to some of our services. They don't have knowledge of the profession for those reasons either. So some of it is just coming in. You get these really how we recruit a very diverse undergraduate body at Case is we go look for the students who say things like we're very interested in language.
[00:16:57] We're very interested in science. We're very interested in acoustics. And we say, have you ever heard about us? And they always say, no, we haven't. But once they hear about us, they're very interested in our field. Right. So, um, right at Hampton, the undergraduate body is diverse at Case we've worked really hard to make our undergraduate body diverse in our major.
[00:17:24] And I think that's effort can go into that space, but then those students need to be mentored so that they can. Be successful in graduate school. Yeah.
[00:17:36] Jessica: So one of the challenges I have at Hampton, um, even for our undergrad students, um, other, our colleagues who have hospital programs or school districts, We'll I've had a person who places students say, oh, well, certain places just won't take Hampton students.
[00:17:59] Not that they've had one, there's just a built-in bias. That same facility will offer a shadowing experiences to a predominantly white institution on the other side of the river. Um, but not our students. We, we didn't even know this was a thing or an opportunity. So half the time it's even though these are kids that could compete at the same level, I am constantly trying to find ways to help give them those experiences and access because they can get it great.
[00:18:34] But just because of the name is Hampton, because it's an HBCU, there are certain institutions that have a bias. Um, just based off of that. Should I tell them about Gabby
[00:18:52] Carrie: Sure Lauren,
[00:18:55] Jessica: Lauren, Lauren,
[00:18:56] Carrie: would this be a good question? One of my question for both of you, were there a certain student or experienced, like mentoring experience that you had that really kind of got you thinking about the IMPACT program?
[00:19:13] Jessica: It is
[00:19:15] Lauren: a culmination of experiences. I don't know if Jessica would want for
[00:19:20] Jessica: me So I see myself in all of our impacts students in a way, right.
[00:19:27] So I was the one who went to predominantly, I've never went to an HBCU. I, all of my education has come from predominantly white institutions and I'm always. The one person of color in my classes, you know, especially African Americans. So I think that's one of the differences. So even those things, if I didn't, and I think I was lucky, cause I didn't even realize how much mentorship and the right mentorship could make or break you.
[00:19:58] And I was lucky and had good breaks. I was lucky that the Calier center was a good place for me. To start my PhD and not just my immediate advisor, Linda Thibideau, but lots of faculty there. Have been supportive and are still supportive of not just me, but they're supportive of my students. So, um, I was a lucky one because if you went to any of the listening sessions last, was it summer of 2020?
[00:20:31]Its horrifying the things that people still go through. These are things that happened back in the sixties. And, you know, there was like Martin Luther, king marching and giving speeches and all that stuff was so far in the past. These things still happen today. And when you look at the numbers yet 18% of audiologists or don't identify as white, but of that 18%, I would say probably less than 3% are probably African-American.
[00:20:59] When we switched from the AuD from a master's to an AuD, you deem all of the, um, audiology programs at HBCUs closed. Couldn't afford to keep those very expensive programs going. So that started to disenfranchise. And like I say it all the time. A lot of African-American audiologists. I have people who still to this day will tell me they wanted to pursue audiology, but they were counseled out of it and undergrad and were forced to go to speech.
[00:21:32] Cause they're like, oh, well you could do speech speech is easier. Luckily, one girl, I ran into it in a Basel conference was telling me her story. And I was like, okay, finish getting your degree in speech. If you still want to do audiology, this is what you need to do. She listened and now she's dual certified, so she's way better off because those numbers are also going down, but she shouldn't have had to jump through all of those hoops just to become an audiologist.
[00:22:04] Carrie: So it's almost like at that, well, first at the level of, um, I guess advising, right, and the undergraduate type programs that it, education needs to start. I was going to make them that too. But yeah,
[00:22:23] Lauren: I was going to mention too, because not all the audience might be familiar with the listening sessions Jessica was talking about.
[00:22:30] So she's referring to, um, after the murder of George Floyd, ASHA hosted several listening sessions. Um, that were not recorded. You can't get access to them anymore because they were about racism and, uh, things that our peers were dealing with. Um, they were emotionally wrenching sessions with horrifying stories throughout better.
[00:22:57] Like Jessica said happening all the time. These aren't things that are dated, um, they're happening all the time. So this goes beyond graduate school, right? I mean, we have to continue to be mentors and continue to be allies to all of our colleagues throughout our whole careers. Um, because a lot of what our colleagues of color have to deal with when they begin working, go beyond just being a clinician like it is for some of us, that's the only thing we have to think about.
[00:23:30] Um, so anyway,
[00:23:33] Jessica: yeah.
[00:23:35] Carrie: Jessica, Did you ever have an experience yourself of being discriminated against in like school or your practice profession and not too much? You, you felt like you were kind of lucky in that respect.
[00:23:51] Jessica: Definite microaggressions. I remember.
[00:23:58] One time. There was this one professor that every time I would walk down the hall, um, and I was still a student, um, would stop me to ask me where I was going. I'm like, I'm going to the lab. Like it w it became to that point, it like the other students were aware and they were like, what is the deal? And.
[00:24:21] You know, eventually that person left and then it was fine, but you know, always stopping like, well, where are you going? What are you doing? What am I gonna do? You know, I know the code to get in. Like it was, you know, but those kinds of things, I think they didn't happen at a certain degree to where it would just be like, are you kidding me?
[00:24:44] And I was lucky that I had such a strong foundation and family. That I kind of was sure of who I was. So I didn't really let those things deter me, but those sorts of things happen all the time. You have to learn as navigating this world is an African-American woman that, you know, how I react, the tone I use, all those things could be used against me.
[00:25:13] So I think Lauren and I have like this great, good cop, bad cop dynamic. Whereas she can, she has, you know, the privilege to be the hot head in, and I'm always super, super calm about it still just as upset. But I think it just shapes how you have to approach things, because I really want people to focus on what I'm saying and how I said it, or, or to even use that as a way to negate whatever argument or whatever it is that I'm trying to get across.
[00:25:46] Carrie: So I feel like just from you talking a lot of your, I mean, your personal experiences and lived experiences and having a strong family foundation and support that way, really probably shaped how you would foresee a mentorship program
[00:26:05] Jessica: happening. Well, yeah, because your parents start to tell you at a very early age that you're not gonna have it easy.
[00:26:14] You're gonna have to work twice as hard. And so that was just instilled in me. And so I'm the same way with my students. So I'm just like, this is not going to be acceptable. If you're planning to go to graduate school. No, one's going to cut you any slack. If anything, you need to be turning your work in early, because they'll look for any cracks to say, see, they're, they're not as good.
[00:26:41] They are deficient in some way.
[00:26:45] Carrie: Do you have a specific story that you can share that kind of gives you insight into, because what I want to talk about next is like the positive IMPACT program that you guys are both involved in. But I think sometimes personal stories or somebody else's personal story really gives lights that fire to what a product or a program might end up at.
[00:27:13] Lauren: Can we do the Gabby story? I think so.
[00:27:19] Jessica: Okay. So we had a student who was in IMPACT. She finished last year, so she's in her first year of grad school. Um, super good student. Um, and she applied to seven different programs. I mean great essay. Cause we really worked hard with our students on their essays and she had top of her class, like literally the top of her class in our department, like won awards was up for the president award, the president's cup at Hampton university, which is extremely prestigious award to even be asked to submit for that award.
[00:28:00] So really great student. Um, and. She wanted to at least apply to her flagship university. You back in the state where she's from. And, um,
[00:28:17] I kept trying to dissuade her. I think Lauren also tried to talk her out of it and that school was her only rejection, but we knew we knew that was coming, but luckily she is a kid that is. Tough. And she was able to go on and she got lots of offers and scholarship offers and she's doing great right now.
[00:28:42] But, um, for some kids that may be. I don't have someone to kind of advise them and help them curate. Like this is a reasonable list of schools and you can have reach and there should be like, the people should have those conversation. Lauren and I both sit on admissions committees and. I think our IMPACT students' essays are just like in a whole nother category compared to some of the ones like I think they could be.
[00:29:14] I think everybody needs someone to kind of help them and help them think things through and edit and make sure you're presenting your best self.
[00:29:25] Lauren: As the mentors, we make them work on them. There they're provided with writing coaches That helped them learn how to be better writers. They spend months editing, revising, rewriting editing, and it shows, um, I, I personally think our students' essays stand head and shoulders above other students' essays because you could see the time that they put.
[00:29:53] The passion that they put in the work that they put in. Um, but you know, that's not obvious to students that they need to do those things to stand out. Um, and that's where the mentoring really comes into play. I mean, this doesn't get at why we started the story Carrie, or started the program, Carrie, but I love to tell this story.
[00:30:17] Um, so like we said, Hampton is an HBCU Case Western is not. Um, Case Western really struggles, recruiting faculty of color. In general, we have very few faculty of color across the whole university and, um, Uh, we have a student who is in the IMPACT program, but when they, they have to interview with us. So the students apply, they submit an application, they have to write an essay.
[00:30:45] Um, Jessica and I review these applications and then we invite students to intern. And, um, you know, Jessica's name is not assuming one way or the other Jessica Sullivan is a very general name. It could be anybody. And so she just assumed that Jessica was white. And when we got on the interview, we were in a zoom room and the second she saw Jessica's face, I mean, right.
[00:31:16] Jess, that was. Just completely changed. And she had a smile from ear to ear and she was flabbergasted. But Jessica was black. And I think Jessica actually was like, teasing her. Like, did you not expect it to be me? And the student said, no, I did. I didn't, I didn't expect you to be anything but white because everyone I've met in this profession, um, at Case, and, and not at Case and the clinical experiences she's had the opportunity to have, they've been doing.
[00:31:53] Um, so that was just, it was very heartwarming. Um, and I, cause I always say, you know, there's, I've had wonderful male mentors. I've been very blessed to have amazing mentors. Um, but for me, having a female mentor has been very special in my life. Um, and they can connect with you on levels that other people can't right.
[00:32:15] And the same is true for, um, our students of color.
[00:32:20] Jessica: Yeah. So for me, because, you know, I really didn't have any professors that look like me. I had great mentors, but they didn't look like me. Um, so it wasn't until I went to my first and BASLH conference after participating in MSLP that I met, um, Dr. Gwendolyn Wilson.
[00:32:43] And she was at the time, the chair of, um, The department at South Carolina state, which is an HBCU and she was the VP of. Um, academic affairs for audiology forASHA. And, you know, I met her at, in BASLH and then later on, um, at the international Congress of audiology in Hong Kong of all places, I see your again.
[00:33:05] And so really only two African-Americans that I saw the entire week we were there. And from that moment on, like, we were, you know, like peace. Like I would call her, she would see me every asset and she would want check-ins. So every professional decision I made. To this day, I've run it past her. Like she's, she's in on everything and she's supportive of me now.
[00:33:31] She's retired now. So she, you know, gives me advice as being a new chair. So I think mentorship is not something you pick up and put down. I think it's a, it's a lifelong commitment. If you were saying I'm going to mentor you, that means I'm walking the walk with you along the way. And that's what Lauren and I do for all of these students.
[00:33:53] Carrie: So just the backup, cause I want to dig just a little deeper into the like bolts of theIMPACT program. But if you would just give like, you know, an elevator speech of, if somebody asks you, what is the IMPACT, what would you say?
[00:34:11] Lauren: I would say that IMPACT is a year long mentoring program. That's how we originally wrote the proposal for the grant.
[00:34:21] Our original idea was it for it to be one year and it has continuous mentoring throughout the entire academic year. So it's consistent mentoring, not just a one-off mentoring. Um, now we really have to say. Annual mentoring because the students love the program so much that everyone wanted to continue.
[00:34:44] And so the students that didn't even graduate, we allowed to stay in with us. Um, they like to refer to it as an IMPACT family. Um, and so, you know, it's more than even just a year now, but that original like curriculum that we developed was a year long program.
[00:35:02] Jessica: Yeah. And I would say that the curriculum is designed to kind of help them elevate professionally and also to kind of give support and understanding to things that they may face.
[00:35:15] So we talk about those tough conversations about racism and microaggressions and all those things through. Cultural empathy book club. And I think that kind of helps them. It takes the sting out of it, in my opinion, like if you read about it and intellectualize, it, it kinda takes, however, people may want to use it as a weapon.
[00:35:37] It kind of takes that away and they can kind of still persevere. So I think. The nuts and bolts of IMPACT, but it also develops networking. And I think that's another key piece because we bring it because of COVID it changed. Right? So now we're bringing in our friends and professionals to help us talk to them about leadership, building your brand, professionalism, um, career options and all of those things.
[00:36:06] So I think that was something we didn't originally think of, but I think it adds a lot
[00:36:11] Lauren: of. Yeah. So for example, Carrie, in the first year of the programming, there were 12 of them. That were spread throughout the entire academic year. Um, so some of the events, events included things like book club discussions for our cultural empathy book club.
[00:36:28] That's what Jess was talking about. Um, some events included, included virtual tours of state-of-the-art research facilities. So our friends at Boys Town, national research hospital helped us with that. Um, and our friends at the university of Pittsburgh, CSND department helped us with that and it allowed our students.
[00:36:48] So case Western and Hampton are very small programs. So our students are only exposed to a few faculty. Um, so it was their first opportunity to see really state-of-the-art laboratories doing cutting edge research with all different types of disciplines. Um, and they were just blown away by what you can do and research and look into in our field.
[00:37:14] Other events include what we call our virtual family dinners, where we all get together on zoom and we eat via grub hub, usually to a theme that the students choose. Um, so actually we just had one this week and the theme was Asian food. Um, and. Two of our friends that are, um, really awesome professionals and who are also people of color in, in communication sciences.
[00:37:43] And, um, the students get to hear their stories. They get to hear their successes. They get to hear some of the trials that they've gone through. Um, and they learn from them. So it's like it's developing them professionally. It's it's increasing their network. Um, it's helping them to see people who do look like them, um, do really amazing things in our field.
[00:38:09] Um, we also have writing workshops, um, where everybody gets together and. Um, educated on how to be a better writer. And I, I think Jess will agree with me. We love these two because the writing instructors are showing you how you teach someone to become a better writer. So I think a lot of faculty. We'll agree.
[00:38:31] We weren't taught how to teach other people how to write. Um, so we've learned a lot, uh, not just editing things for people, but teaching them. This is how you become a better writer. So that's pretty much what the activities look like and they're spread across the year. Um, and we all get together and Case together.
[00:38:54] How often
[00:38:55] Carrie: do you guys meet
[00:38:58] Jessica: once a month? Okay. You usually, some months may have two events, but usually it's like January was a little busy, but typically we only do once a month. And I will say that having those family dinners for that first cohort really elevated them seeing themselves doing a lot of different things in possibilities, because a lot of those kids looked at some of the researchers who like, maybe I'm going to pursue a PhD and some are like, well, maybe I'm going to change my mind.
[00:39:28] And I'm going to reach for like training. Apply it to the university of Pittsburgh or start to change, you know, what they can see themselves doing. It kind of broaden their perspectives in a lot of ways.
[00:39:41] Lauren: Yeah. I mean, it did broaden their perspective. I'm thinking of. Uh, one of our Hampton fellows, who was, it was so inspired by the tour at Pitt.
[00:39:50] And then she applied for the summer acoustics research program that acoustical society just started running last year and was chosen for that program and got to have a whole summer experience in it. Um in acoustics and then
[00:40:05] Jessica: I applied for the spark award and got that. And so she's been like on fire, on our roles. So we, um, we're patiently waiting to see what grad school she's going to choose next.
[00:40:19] And I will say that this is the second year. Um, We will actually have two students applying for AuD programs. So stay tuned. You know, we are, um, still going to expand those numbers and percentages, you know, when two at a time, I guess,
[00:40:39] Carrie: Uh, how do you, uh, you said this is kind of your sec, right? Your second cohort of students, and you said most of your students were like, I want to come back to the IMPACT family cause they really enjoyed themselves.
[00:40:51] How do you envision those, that likes group of students that has already kind of gone through that first year, carrying that torch forward either to the first year when that was there or beyond?
[00:41:04] Jessica: We want to invite them back. And I think we've talked about ways to invite them back and we do kind of keep them abreast of what we're doing for IMPACT.
[00:41:12] We were lucky enough at ASHA this year to have our first in-person impact family dinner. Um, and some of those students were there and able to come and meet the new ones. So it was, it was pretty special. I thought, because that was the first meeting we were in the same
[00:41:31] Lauren: space. We like to tease them that they're the future family dinner guests, which they think, you know, how could I be that person?
[00:41:40] Um, because they're looking at people like Dr. Noma Anderson, past president of ASHA, and it's hard for them to see themselves really there yet, but we say no, in that in a few years, when you are having a successful career as a clinician or in a PhD program, you, you will be our guests back in this program.
[00:42:00] Um, and this year actually, Several of our graduates are joining us for our cultural empathy book club.
[00:42:07] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:42:08] Carrie: Well, that's great because then they learn like the value of being a mentor and how to mentor someone else.
[00:42:16] Jessica: And the funny thing is I have a Hampton student that happened to have joined us for our book club and she is consistently.
[00:42:26] Begging me to start IMPACT for the grad program. And then how can she be involved in what? So it's kind of infectious at how this is, this is actually moving. So, um, it, it has legs and I think it's in a good way. I think this is inspiring our students to realize that, yeah, you had good mentors. Now you can be a good mentor.
[00:42:50] And I think that's one way that we can long-term make a difference in the change. Right.
[00:42:56] Carrie: Yeah, it sounds like you have some already next steps for your program, but do you have, I mean, the other next steps that you guys are already thinking about and how are you going to, do you have to apply to keep it funded or is it going to be so funded?
[00:43:14] How does that work?
[00:43:16] Lauren: So we've got a lot of questions there. CarrIE that. The first thing is, you know, like you, the point that you made about instilling in our students for them to be mentors. One of the things we added to this year's programming, which was different from last year was a senior mentorship night.
[00:43:36] And that was one of the ways be kicked off of IMPACT this year, where our more experienced impact fellows at Hampton and at Case met with the younger students. Um, that we're in the second cohort of students and really talk, talk to them about what to expect and, um, really took them under their wing. Um, so that was really exciting to watch.
[00:43:59] And, um, I think we can see that our hard work pays off because they are also learning how to mentor the next generation. And that's kind of the point, right? The more number of people that we can expand and increase diversity, then those people inspire others to come along with them. And then it keeps growing and growing and growing Jessica.
[00:44:20] And I know that Hampton and Case Western can't change everything. Um, but we can hopefully, you know, when people listen to the podcast and see our students at ASHA giving presentations and are inspired to do similar programs at their universities, um, the IMPACT program was first funded through a grant from ASHA office of multicultural affairs.
[00:44:44] Um, and so that's what funded us to be able to do this program initially. We are very lucky because we were given a gift by the call group. Um, who's the parent company of SimuCase and continue it, um, to keep us going this year because they saw the value in what we were doing. Um, and they really didn't want to see.
[00:45:05] The program have to stop simply due to funding. Um, we wrote and submitted an NSF grant last year that got good feedback, but unfortunately it didn't meet the pay line. Um, that happens a lot with grants. It is hard to get them funded and we're working on another one right now. Um, so we hope we can get that funded.
[00:45:27] Um, you know, Kind of like that Carrie, right? You need money and you need support to do these programs. But I would encourage people that are listening was that our grant was really small through ASHA. And what we accomplished was pretty tremendous on the budget line. We had, honestly, it was a small enough budget that many departments could probably squeeze it into their annual budget.
[00:45:51] Um, and we had great success. We had students who were not going to even apply to go to graduate school, not only apply, but then get into every program that they applied to our three seniors who applied to graduate school, all got scholarships for their programs. Um, we have another Big a group of seniors going through right now or admissions.
[00:46:17] And I think personally all their packets look great. So I think we're going to have really great numbers and not just in graduate school, but in leadership, one of our fellows is the current president of national NSSLHA. We have fellows who weren't involved in student leadership at all now on the executive boards, that there is the groups.
[00:46:37] Um, like Jessica mentioned, one of our students won the SPARK award through ASHA. Was that the ASA summer camp. Um, so we're really proud of them. They're all working really hard and with the right mentorship and guidance and their work ethic, things happen. Right. And that's how we make the change.
[00:46:56] Jessica: Yeah.
[00:46:56] And I think they are examples to the other students that aren't in IMPACT within our departments, because they're looking at them like, wow, like you can do all of those things and you're still, you know, your grades are good, everything's good. But you're, well-rounded with deep knowledge in the profession.
[00:47:16] And so I think that's the other thing, just having access. And since Lauren and I've started, we've had other friends reach out. Figuring out ways, how to help and how they can help our students get experiences. So not that they need to be given special or preferential treatment, just have them in their packets, look like everybody else and just give them the same opportunities and then let them compete.
[00:47:45] Carrie: Is there anything, I guess I think all of that, like the, uh, success stories that you guys just shared right. There is huge as far as the IMPACT. And I could see, um, people listening and especially at a university type program, thinking how could we. Involved or how can we start something in a mini type of a way?
[00:48:08] Do you have a place where people could go and kind of see your curriculum or they could reach out to you?
[00:48:17] Lauren: They can definitely reach out to us. They can reach it. We, we haven't published anything Carrie that describes everything yet. Um, but though I, I do think we will eventually write about our experience, but we're always happy to talk to people.
[00:48:34] We have lots of ideas because we do it all the time. You know, one of the things about IMPACT is we have 12 events throughout the year, but we have a slack. That we talked to the students almost daily on, um, they have our cell phone numbers. We have group chats. Um, we are in constant communication with them.
[00:48:55] And so part of it really is helping to build a community where your students of color feel included right. At an HBCU. The students are included. There aren't separate groups, but at predominantly white institutions, there are typically groups of students and unfortunately the students of color don't always feel included.
[00:49:16] Right? So the biggest thing that I would encourage universities to do is try to recruit students to the major by what we do at Case is. Ask our students to put a presentation together about speech and hearing. So they made this really cute Canva presentation, five minutes long about all the opportunities and the diversity within our field for both speech pathology and audiology.
[00:49:43] And they give that presentation at the black student association meetings at the Hispanic student association meetings at the first gen student association meetings. And they go across campus trying to Spread the word about our profession. And because of that, we have a very diverse undergraduate cohort, right?
[00:50:04] So that's like the first step. And then once the students come into the major, you have to include them. And that's just not always going to happen automatically. You have to create that culture.
[00:50:17] Jessica: Yeah. And I think give their all, it's pretty homogeneous at Hampton, but it's still an important thing of, you have to create the culture in your department that students feel like they belong and they feel welcome.
[00:50:34] Um, I also have a little more support with the McNair program that we have the Ronald McNair program that, um, a lot of universities may have for minority students are first gen students to get involved with research. So that's another support and some of our IMPACT students are also McNair students as well.
[00:50:56] So that also kind of helps support them. Because again, we're trying to get them to go and present at conferences in. How you present at a conference. And so McNair also fits the bill for some of those things. Okay.
[00:51:10] Carrie: Yeah, a lot of, I think what you guys both shared just to things that different universities could put in place, um, without having a grant, but like you said, creating that culture, um, and opportunities that students and like Lauren, and what you said, having students put together a little five minutes, Canva presentation that they take to different organizations on campus and try to recruit, and that's something that's easily done.
[00:51:39] Um, but like you said, that next step, if they get into that, they still need to be supported, um, within that department as well. Is there anything that I didn't ask you guys about IMPACT that you want to share for our listeners today?
[00:52:00] Lauren: I'm looking through your list of questions, Carrie
[00:52:06] Carrie: that kind of even, you know, a story that you want to end with. Um, how IMPACT has benefited you as professionals, or maybe, you know, changed you.
[00:52:21] Lauren: I
[00:52:21] Jessica: think for me, Being able to see all the students at ASHA and how well prepared our impact students were and how they interacted. And they were navigating like, and this was a small ASHA in comparison to what we typically would navigate.
[00:52:38] But for a lot of them, that was their first professional conference. Or maybe even first trip out of a state by themselves. Really? Um, I think that was, that was special to me to see like the growth, like watching them from when they first got in IMPACT and we're having our family dinners and, you know, it's the pandemic t and we didn't know what this was, where this was going to take us, but I am happy.
[00:53:08] That we did it. And I'm enjoying the ride with Lauren, um, Lauren, when he,
[00:53:15] Lauren: yeah. You know, I I'd love seeing them at ASHA too, but I have to say Carrie. The biggest thing for me that always keeps my heart full and my sleeves rolled up willing to work very hard with Jessica to keep this going. Is when I see there, these essays that they work on.
[00:53:36] Um, pouring their heart and soul and tears and sweat. And no matter how many times they're sent to revise and edit and they keep going back and then reading these beautiful essays that really captures who they are and what they want to be in this field. If it just can stop you in your tracks, um, the growth that they've had.
[00:54:03] Between the professionalism and just understanding what they're going to be doing in our, in our space. Um, and then th the impact I know that they'll have on other people, that's definitely what inspires me. Keep working hard. I said, we're, Jessica's never getting rid of me.
[00:54:25] Carrie: Well, I want to say thank you to both of you, but being a guest today, I've learned so much.
[00:54:31] And I can just tell that this IMPACT program. Well have a ripple effect. And like you said, the more students that have the opportunity to go through it, they get to pass the torch to the next generation of students. And then it just keeps going on and on and on. So I hope that this program continues so that the ripple effect can continue as well too.
[00:54:57] So thank you guys, both for being here today. Thank
[00:55:01] Lauren: you so much, Carrie. And I should, I would just like to thank all of the people who have helped us over the past year and a half. Um, Jessica and I run this program, but we have had so many of our friends donate their time to us to spend late evenings into the very late hours, hanging out with our students through zoom
[00:55:25] And so our friends at Boys Town, our friends at Pitt, and all of our friends that have come to the family dinners. We just want to thank them so much because we couldn't be giving the type of program we're giving to our students without all of the support from all those people. So thank you so much for having us.
[00:55:44] Carrie: Yeah. Thank you guys for being here today and thank you all of my listeners for tuning into the empowEAR Audiology podcast. If you enjoy this, please share this podcast with others and please come back next time.
[00:55:59] Announcer: This has been a production of the 3C Digital Media Network.