Going to an ASHA convention is an experience unlike any other. It is hard to put into words the feelings that come with going to ASHA, but I am going to try to capture some snapshots and highlights of the experience. This year’s ASHA took me to Boston, and now it has been a coast to coast adventure. Going to Boston in the wintery months was never on my bucket list, so the sightseeing endeavors had to be put on hold compared to last year’s Los Angeles shenanigans. Plus, grad school kept us preoccupied with trying to stay afloat. I do not know about anyone else, but I live for the keynote address in the opening session at ASHA. Through the years, I have attended my fair share of keynotes at various events, but this one was the best of the best. Roy Spence opened his mouth and inspiration spilled. Needless to say, I had chills during half of it and on the verge of tears the other half. As I sat there, in a convention room filled with thousands of professionals and professionals-to-be in the same field, I was overwhelmed by the unwavering commitment contained in that space. Roy made the statement, “when someone helps you, you can help someone else.” In our profession, that statement holds so much truth. We start our career with such a strong support system, and once we reach a stage in our career, we no longer rely on the same supports we once did and are able to become the support for another beginning their journey. So much of what we do is built on a pay it forward system, and the goal is to always serve the greater good. “Communication is a human right.” In a room full of people whose life mission is to ensure that people will always have a means of communication, this statement captured it all. I actually heard people say “amen” as those words were said. Regardless which path we take within the broad field, we are all doing our part to keep it that way. Communication, no matter how we do it, is essential to humanity. Without communication, there would be no exchange of ideas and innovations. Interactions would be nonexistent, and the extreme corners of the world would be further removed from accessibility. I said all of that to say this: communication is crucial in our world, and this solidifies the notion that what we have to say and contribute to this world matters and is important, no matter the means (conventional or otherwise) we utilize to express ourselves. I did not want the keynote portion of the convention to come to an end. If I did not know any better, it was as if I was walking out of a good church service. That is how good it felt leaving the opening session. The rest of the day, week, and even up to this very day for that matter, I have not stopped thinking about Roy’s impact and dedication to his own line of work. He put actions behind his words, and at one point in his life, he was just an ordinary person trying to make his mark on this great big world. Just like the rest of us sitting in that room, I was an ordinary person who has set out to make an impact, set aside differences, and show the world what humanity can really look like. Wherever we go in this life, there are going to be intersections, and those are the very places where ordinary meets extraordinary. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2018
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