I suppose it would be polite of me to bring you up to date. I decided that I am not going to apologize for the delay in posts anymore because there would be an absurd number of apologies. Continuing on, a lot has happened since Christmas. I am near completion of the Spring semester and gearing up to begin summer courses, clinic and my capstone project. The summer, will be my LAST summer session of my academic career EVER (unless I decide to pursue my Ph.D.)!! Along with my summer course load, I will also be attending 2 weddings. One of which will take place in Iowa, where my friend and classmate Aly will get married to her beau of 8 years! It's about time, I'd say! Leah, my dearest friend, will be getting married in St. Louis the beginning of September. I am privileged to be her Maid of Honor and feel ashamed for my lack of assistance. Distance makes this difficult as she is living in Kentucky. Rest assured, there WILL be a bachelorette party and I will be purchasing my plane tickets soon.
In August, I am attending a student event hosted and paid for by a hearing aid manufacturer, Phonak. This company resides in Chicago, so me and my other classmates will fly out to Chi-town and have a great time socializing with other graduate students, learning about amplification options/products and exploring Chicago. Then, I will be starting a new job at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Doug Keefe's Ph.D. physiological acoustics lab as his research assistant. As many of you are aware, I approached Doug about potentially using his facility and equipment for my research project. Not only did he say yes, but he also offered me a job on the spot! In fact, I will be able to complete my research project while working in his lab! However, the downside was that I had to inform my current employer about this wonderful opportunity. She was very understanding, disappointed, but understanding. I explained my decision and respect for the EHDI program which resulted in encouragement from my co-workers.
Oh yes, I don't think I have shared yet, that I AM GOING TO GREECE! Another part of my summer plan includes going to Greece and volunteering for the International Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Hearing Screenings/Hearing Aid Fittings. Cori and I were selected through an application process to represent UNL and Nebraska as student volunteers. I am truly excited about this experience. BUT, at this point, we have not received any funding to go to Greece as was initially thought. So, there is a possibility that I will withdraw my acceptance due to the fact that $4,000 + to volunteer is a lot to ask of a college student. Plus, I will be missing 2 weeks of classes-did I mention that my classes are 5 week sessions? I hope everything works out, it just may work in a manner I didn't expect; such is life!
