SAA Committee Member Spotlight: Natalie Rothbauer

Name: Natalie Rothbauer
University: Illinois State University
Year in program: Second Year
Committee: Chapter and Member Relations Committee

Why did you decide to become an SAA committee volunteer?
Giving back to the community in general has always been a strong passion of mine. During my senior year, one of the AuD students mentioned how I could get involved in SAA and practically walked me to the booth at the annual SAA Conference! I was really excited to give back to an organization that cares so much for the profession I love and signed up to join a committee the next cycle. Quickly I was hooked volunteering for SAA! You get to meet so many AuD students and audiologists from all of the country who also have a love for volunteerism. It is truly an amazing group that I wish everyone could experience!

What do your responsibilities include within your committee?
As the Recognition and Development Subcommittee Chair, my team and I mainly work on the Undergraduate Associate Awards and Chapter Challenges. Our tasks range from creating new awards to scoring the applications when they come in for the awards program. We also score each period of Chapter Challenges and work with the chapters across the country to recognize them for their hard work throughout the year. We also have been working on creating a comprehensive guide to scoring Chapter Challenges for next year and are helping to develop the undergraduate table at the AuD Student Toolbox event at AAA 2018. 

Within the field of audiology, what are your primary interests?
I have a lot of “loves” in the field of audiology, which is one of the main reasons I decided to complete my AuD. This field is extremely diverse and there are many avenues you can take. However, my first love was hearing conservation since my dad is a firefighter, who has a pretty significant unilateral hearing loss. I have also spent most of my life coaching gymnastics and working with dancers who are differently abled so I also love pediatrics! However, I have been excited to serve all of the patients that walk through the doors of the clinics I have the honor of working in.