吉祥坊

Chapter Goals

• Create opportunities to develop and sustain a supportive interaction among alumni, students, faculty, staff and community
• Promote and support the common educational interests of the Department of Communication Disorders & Sciences
• Heighten the community's perception of our alumni, CDSAA Chapter, the CDS Department, and California State University, Northridge
• Help shape the future of the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology professions
• Reconnect with old friends in the 吉祥坊 Residential and Distance Learning Programs or gain new friendships
• Share knowledge and experiences with collegians, recent graduates, colleagues, and the university

Chapter Awards & Honors

翱耻谤听Online Program for the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology听(Communication Disorders and Sciences) was selected for the听Outstanding Program Award for 2013听by the National Awards Committee for the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA).听

This important award reflects our commitment to academic standards and forward-thinking in quality online education programs. View the听听about this award and the program. Congratulations to the 吉祥坊 CDS Distance Learning Program faculty, staff, alumni and students! 听Read more听.听

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AWARD HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CDSAA AWARDS CELEBRATION

On June 5, 2013, several 吉祥坊 alumni, students, faculty, administration, as well as family and community supporters gathered for the Annual CDSAA Awards Celebration at the 吉祥坊 Grand Salon.听 Throughout the evening, students and alumni were recognized for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the field of Speech-Language Pathology.听 Dean Sylvia Alva was presented the Honorary Alumni Award and CDSAA President, Felicia Conlan, received the Distinguished Alumni Award. 听

The event also included a silent auction and raffles as a fundraiser for the Language, Speech and Hearing Center Voice Lab. We are grateful to the many organizations and individuals who donated to the cause. This year鈥檚 event included entertainment from vocalist Christine Katzenmaier (aka Christine Sofiane) who is a classical singer and recent graduate student from the CDS Dept at 吉祥坊.听 She was a student clinician in the 吉祥坊 Voice Clinic under the supervision of Dr. Kochis-Jennings who teaches coursework in voice disorders.听听 CDSAA Board member and webmaster, Carol Siem, who is an SLP with Los Angeles Unified School District, also played classic tunes on the violin as guests arrived.听 We look forward to next year鈥檚 annual program.

ALUMNI AWARDS

HONORARY ALUMNI AWARD 鈥撎�Sylvia A. Alva

This year鈥檚 CDSAA Honorary Alumni Award was presented to Dr. Sylvia A. Alva, Dean of the College of Health and Human Development.听 Since coming to 吉祥坊 in 2008, Dean Alva has generously shared her time and resources to help promote Speech-Language Pathology and allied health fields.听 The gracious and approachable Dean Alva has attended several CDS Alumni and CDS Department events.听听 She carries a strong commitment to innovation and collaborative partnerships. She is active in campus-wide strategies to improve student learning and success. Dr. Alva co-chairs the advisory board of the Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing, an interdisciplinary collaboration to promote prevention and community-based approaches to health and wellness. Previously, Dr. Alva was the Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Programs at California State University, Fullerton.听

The busy Dean volunteers her time and expertise to serve on the board of the Volunteers of America of Los Angeles, AmeriCorp鈥檚 Jumpstart program and is on the advisory board of several centers of excellence in the college.听 She has also served on the advisory board of Head Start of Orange County, the Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee and other state government and assembly committees.听

Dr. Alva was born in Los Angeles and is a first-generation college student.听听 She serves as an inspiration to many.听 She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Ph.D. and M.A. in Developmental Psychology.听 She earned a B.A. in Psychology with High Honors from California State University, Los Angeles. From Harvard University, she earned a certificate in Management Leadership Development.听 Her research interests and publications include peer-reviewed publications and professional presentations on psychosocial development and educational attainment of Hispanics, psychosocial stress and coping, and educational effectiveness. She has received several awards including the Apple of Gold in Educational Leadership.听 We are proud to honor her in appreciation and recognition of her valuable contributions to CDSAA.

CDSAA DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD 鈥撎�Felicia Sison Conlan

Surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, Felicia Sison Conlan proudly accepted this year鈥檚 Distinguished Alumni Award during the CDSAA Alumni Celebration.听 She was also recently recognized as the 鈥�2013 Chapter Leader of the Year鈥� by the 吉祥坊 Alumni Association. Felicia became President of the CDS Alumni Association just after graduating in 2009 during her Clinical Fellowship.听 When she attended her first board meeting she was elected to head our organization and did so for four years. She worked diligently to include mentorship, professional development, membership recruitment, advocacy and social events.听She urged everyone's participation with the slogan,听 "Let's make a difference together!"听 Under her leadership, she established close relationships with the university and advocated to increase public awareness of the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology professions.听 The CDSAA website grew to become a resource for information to include social networking outreach to alumni and students. She initiated the Alum-Chum Mentor-Mentee program and helped organize this year鈥檚 successful SLP Speed Mentoring Night.听 Felicia has been active in helping to raise funds to create a state of the art Voice Laboratory for the 吉祥坊 Language Speech and Hearing Center. 听

Since receiving her Masters of Science degree in CDS from 吉祥坊, Felicia has been a 鈥淰isiting Professor for a Day鈥� and gave a rousing speech as the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Representative at the 2010 Commencement. She has written many feature articles as a freelance writer.听 As an SLP, she has been interviewed by CNN, Money Magazine, and the Student-Doctor Network and has been invited to speak at colleges and high schools.听 For several years, she has volunteered with the San Fernando Valley Alumnae of Zeta Tau Alpha to help with the Komen Race for the Cure along with her husband, Bobby, and sons.

Felicia is a Speech-Language Pathologist with the Los Angeles Unified School District working with children from preschool to high school.听 Before deciding to become an SLP, she worked for KCAL/KCBS-TV in Los Angeles as a television reporter, producer, writer and assignment editor and has won Golden Mikes and Emmy nominations for her work in television news. Felicia gave up a budding career in broadcasting to be a full time mother to raise her two boys, Brady and Riley, scholar athletes who play baseball.听 She was also a Little League team manager.听 For a few years, she was a bilingual substitute teacher in a dual immersion program for Spanish and English.听 She says all these life experiences have helped her become a more effective SLP.

Felicia was elected to serve on the Nominating Committee for the California Speech-Language Hearing Association (CSHA) District 7 and was appointed to serve on the CSHA Marketing and Leadership Board.听 She will head the subcommittee on Media Relations to combine her passion as a Speech-Language Pathologist with her skills as a journalist.听 She plans to continue the campaign to raise public awareness in the field of Speech-Language Pathology on state and national levels. 听

吉祥坊 ALUMNI VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD 鈥撎�Laurie Cartwright

Earlier this school year, the CDS Alumni nominated Laurie Cartwright, one of our exceptional alumni to receive the 吉祥坊 Alumni Association Volunteer Service Award.听 She received these honors in a special ceremony by the 吉祥坊 Alumni Association.听 As a Speech-Language Pathologist, Laurie Cartwright, supervises 吉祥坊 students in the Communication Disorders and Sciences Department perform hearing and speech screenings and provide speech therapy to clients in the community.听 She supports and attends CDSAA events as well as the activities of the student organization, NSSHLA.听 She has lent her expertise and assistance at the Language, Speech and Hearing Center Boot Camps each summer and is active in the California Speech-Language Hearing Association.

CDSAA Awards History

Perpetual plaques imprinted with awardees hang in the 吉祥坊 Language-Speech and Hearing Center.听 Award recipients include:听

Distinguished Alumni Award听- Alumni who have distinguished themselves to some combination of professional achievement, ambassadorship, and support of the CDS Department and CDSAA

03听听听听听听听听听听 Muriel Goldojarb

04听听听听听听听听听听 Mindy Newhouse

05听听听听听听听听听听 Marianne Stone-Smith

06听听听听听听听听听听 Michael Biel

07听听听听听听听听听听 Liza White

08听听听听听听听听听听 Lannie Legler

09听听听听听听听听听听 Helen Sherman Wade

10听听听听听听听听听听 Joanna Cazden

11听听听听听听听听听听 Ruth Rothman

12听听听听听听听听听听 Janice Woolsey

13听听 听听听听听听听 Felicia Sison Conlan

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Honorary Members of CDSAA Award听鈥� provided invaluable service

02听听听听听听听听听听 Ruth Harris &Dr. Randy Aker

03听听听听听听听听听听 None listed

04听听听听听听听听听听 Dr. Judy Trost Cardamone

05听听听听听听听听听听 Shellie Hadvina & Dr. J Stephen Sinclair

07听听听听听听听听听听 Dr. Ed Hall

09听听听听听听听听听听 Dr. Phillip Reid

10听听听听听听听听听听 Gail Wilson Lew

11听听听听听听听听听听 Diane Davis Endowment, President Jolene Koester

12听听听听听听听听听听 Melanie Hudson

13听听听听听听听听听听 Dean Sylvia Alva

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Ruth Harris Award for Clinical Excellence听鈥� presented in partnership with the CDS Department to honor CDS Graduates best exemplifying excellence in professionalism and spirit in honor of Ruth Harris, former Clinic Coordinator, Force of Nature - Force of Nurture

04听听听听听听听听听听 Marianne Kuts

05听听听听听听听听听听 Spring Langford

06听听听听听听听听听听 Zara Mouboiadjian

07听听听听听听听听听听 Nicole Varanakas & Carolyn McCarthy

08听听听听听听听听听听 Katy Flood

09听听听听听听听听听听 Eric Bram

10听听听听听听听听听听 Marissa Klein-Wilding

11听听听听听听听听听听 Karen Malka

12听听听听听听听听听听 Ivonne Molina, Sydney Baker, Anna Jewett

13听听听听听听听听听听 Peter Cummings

To donate to the Chapter, please and in the designation box, select 'other'. Write in the name of the Chapter in Special Instructions.

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吉祥坊 Alumni Home

吉祥坊 Alumni Events Calendar

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ASHA Advocacy Link:听

CSHA Advocacy Link:听http://www.csha.org/Advocacy/Legislation

Job & Volunteer Opportunities:

Students should consider this: To gain exposure/experience, find a local private practitioner to observe or work with. Learning about your options and keep up to date on changes, particularly for telehealth. Take relevant coursework as early as possible (aphasia, swallowing). Volunteer if possible to get added exposure and gain contacts in hospitals.

CSHA Job Listings:听

ADVANCE Magazine Job Listings:听

Thinking of working in health care? It is exciting, fast paced, and varied. You can see adults and children, work with diverse disorders, and team with other medical professionals. Working in health care exposes you to the latest trends in practice, including telehealth. You can work in a hospital, clinic, or clients鈥� homes as an employee or as a private practitioner. In private practice you can also work to modify accents or enhance the communication skills of people in the corporate world. Here are some resources to help you learn more:听
SLPs in health care:听
Private practice:听
Corporate Speech-Language Pathology: Is it right for you?听
Telepractice:听

Find out about the 吉祥坊 Distance Learning Program:听

吉祥坊 Communication Disorders and Sciences Residential Program:听

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:听

California Speech-Language-Hearing Association:听
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board:听
PediaStaff Newsletter Link:听http://www.pediastaff.com/pedia-newsletter

For Articulation, Language, Fluency, Pragmatics, AAC and Thematic Therapy Ideas:听

Website from Caroline Bowen, PhD:听

Alzheimer's Association听

Brain Injury Association听

United Cerebral Palsy听

International Stuttering Association听

National Aphasia Association听

National Attention Deficit Disorder Association听

National Hearing Organization听

National Stroke Association听