2025-2026 Monthly Blogs

August/September 2025

Hello, my name is Ella Birgel, and I serve as the Corresponding Secretary for Purdue University’s chapter of NSSLHA. In August, the executive board met to review roles, set expectations for the year, and plan engagement opportunities, and on August 23rd we proudly represented NSSLHA at the Purdue B-Involved Fair by promoting the organization to incoming students. Our first meeting of the year was held on September 2nd and served as a callout, where we introduced the organization, officers, and advisors, provided a semester overview, and highlighted opportunities such as volunteering with Grants House, National NSSLHA, and Student Advocacy Day. On September 16th we hosted a freshman and sophomore panel featuring upperclassmen, professors, and faculty who shared advice, experiences, and ways to get involved within the SLHS department and across campus, followed by a graduate school panel on September 30th for juniors and seniors, which included professors and graduate students representing both the SLHS and AuD pathways. In addition to these events, the executive board held three planning meetings to prepare for future activities, and we are looking forward to our upcoming volunteer opportunities and Bob Ross painting night in October.

October 2025

On October 21st, we hosted a meeting with a guest speaker who shared her experiences of having a stroke and living with aphasia, discussing how it has impacted her daily life. She offered valuable advice on working with patients as future speech-language pathologists and reflected on her experiences with therapy. On October 24th, we held a tabling event for Student Advocacy Day, where officers from NSSLHA, SAA, and the Student Advocacy Council shared information about the SERVICE Act. This act aims to strengthen Public Service Loan Forgiveness by reducing payments, expanding eligibility, and ensuring fair access for public service professionals. Participants also had the opportunity to send letters to Congress in support of the act. On October 28th, we hosted our Bob Ross Painting Night, where members followed a tutorial and competed to see who could create the best painting! Throughout the month, our executive team held multiple meetings to plan upcoming events and check in with one another about our roles. We’re looking forward to November, when a speech-language pathologist will visit to share her professional experiences with us.

November 2025

This month, we held one meeting on November 11th, where we were pleased to welcome a guest speaker who is a practicing speech-language pathologist. She shared insights from her experiences across a variety of settings and offered an overview of her journey and perspective as an SLP, which was both informative and inspiring for our members. On November 14th, we hosted a fundraiser for our NSSLHA chapter in collaboration with Panda Express. Members, faculty, friends, and family were able to place online orders, and a percentage of each order was generously donated back to our chapter. We are looking forward to celebrating the holiday season with our December Holiday Party and continuing to bring our members together for engaging and meaningful events.

December 2025

This month, Purdue’s Chapter of NSSLHA received the profit report from our November fundraiser, we raised nearly $300 for our organization! A big thank you to all members, exec, and faculty who supported our cause. We also celebrated our December graduates by providing them with stoles and recognizing them at our December meeting. On December 2nd, we wrapped up the semester with a Holiday Party, complete with crafts, snacks, and hot cocoa. This was our final meeting of 2025, and we are excited for everything we have planned for 2026!

January 2026

We’re starting the new year off strong! At our spring callout meeting on January 20th, we had fun connecting with everyone and played a Kahoot featuring questions about the SLHS department. It was a great way to kick things off and build excitement for the semester. We’re especially looking forward to February, as some of our members prepare for and participate in ISHA’s Legislative Day at the Indiana State Capitol, an exciting opportunity to advocate for our field and make our voices heard.

February 2026

March 2026

April 2026

May 2026