Southeast Missouri State University graduate communication disorders students recently placed second in the “Quest for the Cup" competition during the Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (MSHA) annual convention in Osage Beach, Missouri.
The students, who are pursuing graduate degrees in speech-language pathology, competed against nine other institutions.
Their performance marks the Department's strongest showing at the conference’s competition and highlights the students’ skills and knowledge, said Dr. Misty Tilmon, the teams’ faculty advisor and assistant professor of communication disorders.
“This competition was a great opportunity for our students to showcase the knowledge they've accumulated in our program over the past two years of study,” she said. “Our students' performance put Southeast on the map as one of the premier graduate programs for speech-language pathology in our region.”
The competition tested the students' research and clinical practice knowledge across nine areas within the scope of practice of speech-language pathology, including language disorders, speech sound production, cognitive-communication disorders, stuttering and cluttering, augmentative and alternative communication, voice disorders, and swallowing disorders.
Southeast led most of the contest, missing only two out of 25 questions. At the end of regulation, a tie with Maryville University led to a "sudden death" round between the two programs, with Southeast taking second.
Students who participated were:
- Aaron Huber of Jackson, Mo.
- Adrienne Underwood of Cape Girardeau, Mo.
- Lauren Uskiwich of Festus, Mo.
- Megan Sheeley of Cape Girardeau, Mo.
- Shelby Pipkin of Fredericktown, Mo.