Kaitlyn Marnien is a second-year audiology student at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 2023. She also earned three minors during her undergraduate education: American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf Studies, and Linguistics. She found audiology through her younger brother who has a longstanding history of hearing loss. This experience, combined with her undergraduate minors, led to a niche interest in audiology within the Deaf population. Her additional personal interests in public speaking and musical theater led to a passion for supporting client access to communication both spoken and signed. Kaitlyn’s professional interests include music audiology, intraoperative monitoring, implantable devices, and hearing aid distribution across the lifespan. 

Kaitlyn is the current President Elect for the 2025-2026 national SAA Board of Directors. University’s SAA Chapter secretary. Her goals for the upcoming year include learning all there is to know about being president of a national organization. Additionally, she looks forward to fostering an environment where every member of the board, as well as audiology students across America, feel respected and heard. She is thrilled to take on this leadership opportunity and work with an executive board that is passionate about student advocacy and communication access.