Communication Sciences and Disorders Graduate Student Receives Award at ASHA

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Ruhee Keshwani, a second-year graduate student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at the University of Arkansas, was awarded the Zenith Rehab-Asian Indian Caucus Scholarship at the 2019 ASHA conference in Orlando, Florida. At this conference, she presented her research that centered on the phonological differences in spoken English which can pose challenges for international students and their clinical supervisors.

ASHA is the national credentialing association for both speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Each year, thousands of these professionals gather to present research and learn about the latest advances made in their perspective fields.

Keshwani started attending the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2018 upon acceptance into the CDIS graduate program for speech-language pathology. She moved here from Mumbai, India, where she had previously attended Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities.

Fran Hagstrom, an associate professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program, said, "Ruhee is passionate about the field of speech-language pathology. She began her training in India where she had the possibility of working as a therapist, but decided to further her knowledge and education by pursuing her masters here at Arkansas."

Hagstrom further noted that English is just one of Keshwani's three first languages; yet, learning to be a clinician in Arkansas comes with its own set of challenges since she has had to learn the Arkansan accent. Her passion for speech-language pathology coupled with her own personal experience as an international student fueled her desire to help other international students and their supervisors create a successful learning environment.

Keshwani said, "I always wanted to pursue a career that would help people, and a career in the field of speech-language pathology does just that."