The TAASLP Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of children and adults with communication disorders. As a part of its mission the Foundation awards two $2500 annual scholarships to student members to be used for tuition and related school expenses. One scholarship is awarded to an SLP graduate student and one to an AUD student each year typically at the annual TAASLP/TAA Convention.
Along with everyone else, we were disappointed that we could not safely hold our 2020 TAASLP/TAA convention in November where we anticipated presenting $2500 checks to our two scholarship winners in person at the Awards Luncheon. However, we hope our winners will be able to join us at the 2021 annual convention on October 20-21 at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin, TN to be recognized for their accomplishments. The Foundation is proud to introduce to you the outstanding 2020 scholarship winners, Jennifer Lowe and Brandi BeCoats.
Jennifer Lowe entered the AUD program at East Tennessee State University after receiving her masters degree in chemistry and biology and teaching in the public schools. She was selected as one of the trainees for the prestigious Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program and has coordinated a bi-monthly audiology in-service program for third year ETSU medical school students, a 5K for Autism Awareness and a fundraiser for Taking Action for Special Kids. Her faculty members and clinical mentors describe her as an “intelligent, active learner, critical thinker” who has a “true passion in wanting to help individuals with hearing deficits.” Her primary goal after graduation is to establish pediatric vestibular evaluation and rehabilitation services in her native rural East Tennessee/Southwest Virginia region.
Brandi BeCoats is a second-year graduate student at Tennessee State University where she has served as the president of the university NSSLHA chapter. In addition, she was a member of the College Bowl at the National Black Association of Speech Language Hearing (NBASLH). She has recently served as the student representative to the Foundation Executive Board. Her advocacy efforts also include spearheading TSU’s student participation in the TAASLP Day on the Hill. Her professors and clinical educators commend not only her leadership skills but the “way she communicates charismatically with her peers and supervisors” as well as her “resilience, creativity, and preparedness in executing her clinical skills with the use of teletherapy.” These skills will enhance her post-graduation plans to participate in travel therapy prior to pursuing a doctoral degree in neurogenic research.
The TAASLP Foundation applauds our 2020 scholarship winners on their achievements and looks forward to learning about their continued advocacy to improve the quality of life and communication for individuals with communication challenges. If you know of deserving students, please encourage them to apply for the 2021 scholarships through their university NSSLHA or SAA advisor or the TAASLP website. To be eligible applicants must be full-time graduate audiology or speech-language pathology students enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education in the state of Tennessee. One SLP and one AUD student are selected based on merit in a competitive application process with applications due at the end of August.
We look forward to receiving many well-qualified 2021 applications and presenting our 2020 and our 2021 scholarship winners to the membership in October.
About the Foundation Awards Scholarship
The TAASLP Foundation awards scholarships to be used for tuition expenses to graduate audiology and speech-language pathology students enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education. An additional stipend to offset directly related educational expenses may also be awarded. Recipients of scholarships will be selected based on merit. At the TAASLP-TAA Joint Annual Convention, one $2,500 scholarship will be awarded to an audiology student, and one $2,500 scholarship will be awarded to a speech-language pathology student.
Eligibility
To be eligible for consideration, the following criteria must be met:
The student must provide evidence of enrollment in an educational program in the field of audiology or speech-language pathology at an accredited institution of higher education in the State of Tennessee.
The student must be enrolled for full-time study (twelve or more credit hours or the full-time standard). If the full-time standard is less than twelve credit hours, the student must provide documentation from the college or university regarding their full-time standard.
The student must have completed their first year of graduate study in a Tennessee university with faculty recommendations.
The student must be a student member of TAASLP.
The student must be recommended by two persons as follows:Faculty member at the students current educational institution
Faculty member at the students previous educational institution
Colleagues (at least one supervisor) at the students current place of employment for persons returning to school after being in the workforce.
Scholarship Applications due August 31st , 2020
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