AAMU Selected for Intercollegiate Speech Language College Bowl
Communicative Sciences and Disorders Team to Compete in SHAA Quest for the Cup
Five graduate students will represent Alabama A&M University in the 3rd Annual Speech, Language, and Hearing Association of Alabama (SHAA) Quest for the Cup Scholars Bowl. The competition is Thursday, February 8, from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in Birmingham.
“This competition is like a 'Battle of the Brains' for Communicative Sciences and Disorders (CSD) second semester graduate students,” says CSD Clinic Director Esther Phillips-Embden.
AAMU, with one of the oldest CSD programs in the state, will take on teams from the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of South Alabama, Samford University, The University of Montevallo and Faulkner University. It’s the first year all of Alabama’s Speech-Language Pathology programs will compete.
“Questions will be asked from the field's nine scopes of practice: speech sound production, receptive and expressive language (literacy), voice and resonance, swallowing/feeding disorders, cognitive-linguistic and social aspects of communication, hearing, fluency, and augmentative/alternative communication modalities,” says Phillips-Embden.
The AAMU team includes second-year CSD graduate students Dionna Alexander of Snellville, Ga; Betsy Milburn of Gurley, Ala; Hannah Griffin of Auburn, Ala; Gracie Walker of Boaz, Ala, and Allison Carter of Florence, Ala. Justice Young, a first-year CSD graduate student from Decatur, Ala, is the alternate.
“I am so honored,” says Walker. “I am thrilled to meet professionals who will teach me more about speech-language pathology. Getting to go to SHAA will advance my academic career by broadening my knowledge of the praxis exam.”
Graduate students in CSD must take the Speech-Language Pathology Praxis Exam before graduation and must pass the exam to achieve national certification and state licensure.
For Carter, the competition is especially exciting. She will be honored at SHAA and awarded a scholarship.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of the first team to compete in the Quest for the Cup and represent our outstanding University,” says Carter. “I hope to gain knowledge about the SLP Praxis examination and exposure to possible future career opportunities.”
The winning team will be recognized as SHAA's 2024 Quest for the Cup Scholar's Bowl Champions and take home the championship trophy.
“I hope to bring pride and awareness to AAMU's academic excellence and reputation,” says Milburn. “I'm excited to learn from many experts in the extensive community of speech pathologists throughout the state of Alabama - many being AAMU Alumni!”
(Photo Top L-R) Dionna Alexander, Esther Phillips-Embden , Hannah Griffen, Gracie Walker, Betsy Milburn, Allison Carter.