I decided to pursue CSD as my major because, as a child, I had my very own speech-language pathologist (SLP) during elementary school. My SLP was such a kind woman, and she taught me not only how to communicate with those around me but how to be confident and see the value in what I had to say. The influence that my SLP had on me made me want to be able to give back to others and help people rebuild their own communities. To make such a change on others and communities, I knew I would need to be formally educated, which is how I found myself at NAU pursuing CSD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I wish that more people knew that CSD is more than just a speech therapist who helps kids learn how to speak fluently. CSD is also full of people who are interested in hearing sciences, acoustics, cultural language use, and many other diverse areas around speech and hearing. In these ways, CSD is a diverse profession full of people looking to discover the science behind human connection and aid people in building these connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My favorite memory from the CSD program at NAU was the speech science course I took with Dr. Tucker. In this course, we took a lab day to the engineering college and conducted a fire lab, where we saw firsthand how acoustic sound waves affect the air around through flame changes. This moment was full of excitement and helped illuminate my appreciation for speech sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NAU’s CSD program is meaningful to me because of the deep connections I have been able to make with the other students and staff. Every professor in this major is incredibly passionate about their field and about creating a new wave of diligent, thoughtful health care professionals. The positivity and open arms that I have been met with when asking questions, conducting observations, and participating in class, has elevated my professional and academic mindset. Of the professors who stand out the most in my development, Dr. Michael Skelton and Dr. Mary Harmon have aided me most in my education, navigating college life, and learning about the healthcare professional I would like to become. Connections with peers and professors like this are a rare occurrence, so these relationships are what make NAU’s CSD program special. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The thing that I will miss the most about being an undergraduate student at NAU is the small-town college feeling. I enjoyed days in the fields sunbathing, playing volleyball on the central quad, and the on-campus events, like the homecoming carnival. NAU has been the perfect college for me to learn, have fun, and develop into the adult I am now. So, I will miss the small-town feeling that has provided calm in the chaos of an ever-changing college life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After graduation, I will be attending the MGH Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, for my doctorate in audiology. For this program, I will move to Boston in June and begin my audiological studies soon after for my first summer term in the program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To be named the CHHS Distinguished Senior is a great honor for my family and I. I am a first-generation college student, so graduating from a university and getting into graduate school is already a great accomplishment; but to also hold this title and lead the college during graduation reflects the impact I have been able to make within my field so far. In this way, being the CHHS Distinguished Senior holds great value to my family and I, as it represents a deliberate, positive trajectory of my focus on others. This honor makes me proud of where I have come from and excited to see where I will go with my future impact in pediatric audiology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Congratulations to the 2026 CHHS Distinguished Senior, Marlee!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Marlee Hewlett, a senior in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) has been named the 2026 CHHS Distinguished Senior. In celebration, we asked Marlee to reflect on her time at NAU, what led her to CSD, and her plans for after graduation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2905,"featured_media":10307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"6717,9320,2483,2374,9431,10192","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-10304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-of-health-and-human-services","category-communication-sciences-disorders","tag-communication-sciences-and-disorders"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2905"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10304"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10314,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10304\/revisions\/10314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/316\/2026\/03\/IMG_0048-1-rotated.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat do you wish more people knew about CSD?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is your favorite memory from the CSD program at NAU?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What makes NAU CSD meaningful to you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What will you miss most about being an undergraduate student at NAU?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/316\/2026\/03\/IMG_9780-rotated.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat are your plans for after graduation? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What does it mean to you to be named the CHHS Distinguished Senior?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n