Both Sides of the Booth: A Conversation with Audiologists and Students with Hearing Loss

Join the national SAA for a meaningful conversation with audiology students and professionals who have hearing loss. This panel offers an honest look at their experiences in the classroom, in clinical training, and in daily communication—highlighting both the challenges they navigate and the strengths they bring to the profession. Bring your questions and take part in an open dialogue about accessibility, inclusion, and how we can better support future audiologists with hearing loss.

Registration is FREE for all audiology students.

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Speakers

Katie Colborn, AuD

Katie Colborn, AuD, is a pediatric audiologist at Cleveland Clinic. She precepts third-year audiology students from the Northeast Ohio Audiology Consortium (NOAC). Dr. Colborn graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. She earned her AuD from the Northeast Ohio AuD Consortium (NOAC). Her clinical interests are pediatric electrophysiology, diagnostics, and hearing aids. She has worn
hearing aids since childhood and grew up signing with her Deaf grandparents.

Shannon Culbertson, AuD

Shannon Culbertson earned her AuD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She works full-time as a pediatric audiologist at UNC Health, supporting kids with their communication needs through diagnostics and hearing aid management. She is a clinical supervisor for graduate audiology students and was awarded the UNC Preceptor of the Year Award in 2025. Dr. Culbertson is passionate about empowering patients AND graduate students with hearing loss towards greater understanding of their own communication needs, translating into greater self-advocacy skills.

Madeline Colello

Madeline Colello is a second-year doctoral student in Audiology at James Madison University, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Currently, she serves as the secretary for the JMU SAA Chapter. She has served as a guest lecturer for many years at the VCU School of Medicine and the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, helping raise awareness about hearing loss. Madeline has been a bilateral cochlear implant user for over twenty years. This has led to her passion for supporting and advocating for those individuals navigating similar experiences. Her clinical interests are cochlear implants, pediatric audiology, and aural rehabilitation. She looks forward to working closely with children and their families, building meaningful connections and supporting them throughout their journey with hearing loss.

Tin Nguyen

Tin Nguyen was born and raised in New Orleans, graduating from the University of New Orleans (UNO) with a Bachelor’s in Exercise Physiology. Tin is a second-year AuD student at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center—New Orleans. As a non-traditional AuD student, Tin discovered audiology a year before applying to audiology graduate school. It was the best professional decision Tin has made. Tin works as a paramedic part-time yet envisions working as an audiologist for a very long time. Tin’s previous clinical experience consists of: hearing aids and VNG with exposure to ABR. As of now, the area that piques Tin’s interest most is vestibular assessment.

Zachary Owens

Zachary (Zach) Owens was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Zach is a second‑year AuD student at Illinois State University. Zach’s personal journey — being born profoundly deaf and raised with cochlear implants — is what fuels a passion for audiology. Zach strives to support others who have faced similar experiences similar whether it is related to hearing loss, socio‑cultural transitions or identity shifts, audiologic rehabilitation, or auditory therapy. Zach is passionate about American Sign Language and Signed English, which are part of Zach’s native language background. Zach advocates for individuals throughout their hearing journeys, whether they identify with Deaf or Hard of Hearing culture or the hearing world. This unique perspective strengthens Zach’s aspirations to provide advocacy, accessibility, and empower others in their communication journeys.