Starkey Laboratories proudly announces the 2004 recipients of the inaugural William F. Austin Scholarship. Five outstanding and well-qualified audiology graduate students were selected to receive up to $10,000 each for the 2004-2005 academic year.
William F. Austin, Starkey CEO, said, "We have always been a leading advocate of education and the scholarship's goal is to support strong candidates who pursue clinical, teaching and research careers in audiology."
The 2004 recipients are Trevor Courouleau of Edmond, Okla., Sarah Friedman of Rockville, Md., Jennifer Main of New Brighton, Minn., Allison Paumen of Minneapolis, Minn., and Jennifer Vargo of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Jennifer Vargo (left) and Allison Paumen (right) were presented with their William F. Austin Scholarship awards at the inaugural Starkey First Student Workshop August 6, 2004. Vargo and Paumen attended the three-day workshop focusing on topics currently of interest in the field and areas not typically included in academic curriculum. Scholarship winners not pictured are Trevor Courouleau, Sarah Friedman and Jennifer Main.
Trevor Courouleau
Trevor Courouleau is pursuing an Au.D. at the University of Oklahoma and plans to complete his coursework in 2006. Personal hearing loss caused from severe ear infections followed by numerous surgeries encouraged Courouleau to embark on a career in audiology. He said, "I hope to bring a strong sense of humanity to the field of audiology by empowering patients and family members to deal with hearing loss in a positive manner." Courouleau is currently working as a Graduate Audiology Intern at the university's John W. Keys Speech and Hearing Center focusing on the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of hearing disorders. Besides a busy academic schedule, he also serves as Executive Officer of the local chapter of the National Association for Future Doctors of Audiology.
Sarah Friedman
Sarah Friedman is currently enrolled in an audiology Ph.D. program at the University of Maryland. While pursuing her degree, Friedman is working as a Graduate Research Assistant at the university's Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. Her day-to-day activities include recruiting and coordinating subjects for speech perception and psychoacoustic listening experiments, as well as maintaining lab documents and research data. Friedman cites "a love of language and an interest in the communication process" as the driving factors for her choice to make a career change and return to school after working as a marketing communications professional. She plans to complete her degree in 2005 and currently maintains a 4.0 GPA.
Jennifer Main
Jennifer Main's motivation for a career in audiology became evident after spending an afternoon with a young girl with a cochlear implant. She said, "It was after this experience that I first remember thinking with conviction that I wanted to help children with hearing loss." Main is currently attending the University of Minnesota working on her Master of Arts in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences with a concentration of audiology and plans to graduate in 2005. Past work experience at the Minnesota Ear, Head, and Neck Clinic helped Main refine her audiological evaluation and clinical testing skills. Upon graduation, Main plans to work as clinician and gain practical experience before returning to academia to complete her Ph.D.
Allison Paumen
Allison Paumen aspires to open a pediatric hearing care clinic using a holistic approach to create a safe environment for children with hearing loss and their families. She said, "I am passionate and excited that my efforts will improve the lives of the people my work will touch." Paumen is currently enrolled in the University of Minnesota's Au.D. program and plans to graduate in 2006. A current Research Assistant position at Starkey and past research experiences have piqued Paumen's interests about various communications disorders and created a foundation for her future career goals. She is also a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association - University of Minnesota chapter and served as vice president of the chapter in 2002.
Jennifer Vargo
Jennifer Vargo has always had interest in helping people. From volunteering in a high school-sponsored tutoring program for language-delayed children to helping at workshops for mentally challenged and disabled children, past experiences encouraged Vargo down a career path in audiology. She said, "They were the first steps of what I have come to realize is the journey toward my real purpose." Her current endeavors include working on her Au.D. at the University of Pittsburgh expecting to graduate in 2005. While maintaining a 3.68 GPA, Vargo was also the co-founder and two-year charter president of Pitt's National Association of Future Doctors of Audiology. She believes quality, commitment and good leadership skills are vital characteristics for clinicians. "The new Au.D. has raised the bar for the profession, demanding that audiologists are at the top of their game. I plan to be one of the captains of the team," said Vargo.
The selection committee reviewed 80 applications for the 2004 scholarship. Eligibility requirements included acceptance to, or current enrollment in an accredited graduate M.A., M.S., Au.D. or Ph.D. program in audiology. Applicants were also asked to submit a letter outlining the reasons they are pursuing graduate study in audiology, a description of their course of study and future goals after completing their degree programs.
Austin said, "We've selected future industry leaders. Each recipient has shown the perfect combination of skill, devotion and foresight of future goals and objectives. Starkey is pleased to do our part to make the industry stronger by supporting the academic pursuits of exceptional students."
The scholarships were awarded during the new Starkey First Student Workshop, August 5-7 at Starkey's World Headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Funds will be disbursed for the 2004-2005 academic year. Recipients will have up to four years to use their $10,000 award.
The William F. Austin Scholarship is part of the new Starkey First educational outreach program. Starkey First offers both student audiologists and hearing care professionals unprecedented learning opportunities focusing on a variety of topics, including: student workshops, business and practice management, marketing, patient care, as well as future student internships in 2005.
Starkey also offers regular product and software training throughout the United States. CEUs are available at most classes and are subject to state approval. CEUs are also available through our comprehensive online training courses located at www.starkey.com/pages/professional/profPartner10.html. To learn more about Starkey's variety of student and professional training programs, please visit www.starkeyfirst.com or contact a Starkey representative at 800.328.8602.
