May 2023
President’s Corner

With the end of a new school year comes about many new beginnings: new jobs, new schools, and for some, new career choices. When I made the transition from undergraduate to graduate school, I moved to a new city not knowing much about audiology, as I came from a neuroscience undergraduate background. The cohort size was shockingly small and I quickly learned how important group communication was. Something that helped tremendously with this transition, however, was getting involved with the national SAA. 

I quickly learned about the Board of Directors and the roles of each committee. I also became aware of the numerous volunteer opportunities that were open for any interested SAA member. Getting involved in my local chapter was also very helpful during this transition. The Programs Ideas Bank is a great resource to become up-to-date with that outlines several ways for local chapters to host events focusing on advocacy, diversity-based initiatives, education, fundraising, humanitarianism, and so much more! Other chapter resources were also very valuable as I became more involved with local and national SAA.

If you are like me, the past four years flew by and graduation is just around the corner! How can you stay involved with the Academy as you make this transition from student to professional? The Academy has a Fellow Up! Program specific for graduating SAA members to help with the transition. Once current SAA members have graduated with their first doctoral degree in audiology, the Academy will provide a discounted membership rate for three years! First-year graduates can receive a $210 discount off of their Fellow membership dues, followed by a $120 discount for second-year graduates, and finally, a $50 discount for third-year graduates. So, for our fellow upcoming graduates, the Academy is here to support you with this transition, even financially!

With whatever transition you may be facing currently or will be facing soon, a huge CONGRATULATIONS if that means the transition from undergrad to grad or from student to professional! The SAA and Academy are here to support and make these transitions as seamless as possible while providing many resources to lessen the stress.