NSSLHA presents Ms. Lisa Aniversario

Thank you to those who showed up tonight for our February meeting~

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Announcements and reminders~

• NSSLHA is participating in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Walk (NMSSW), and we hope you will join us! Check back tomorrow for a detailed post or visit http://www.nationalmssociety.org/cal/home for a preview!


• NSSLHA is now Earth-friendly, too! Please bring your recyclable cans and bottles into the Clinician Prep Room for recycling. Please also do not mistake the lovely, white bin as the trash can. ;) All funds collected from your efforts will be donated to NSSLHA, to be used for future meetings, events, X-hour snacks, guest speakers, and prizes! Help make a difference one can/2.5 cents at a time!

• This blog is created for you! So keep checking back here for upcoming events, post comments or questions, and voice your concerns or thoughts!

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At tonight’s meeting, NSSLHA hosted a special guest speaker, Ms. Lisa Aniversario.

Graduating from CSULB with both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, Ms. Aniversario has been making a difference on a daily basis, ever since she stepped foot on this career path.

From working in a non-public school to local unified school districts, Ms. Aniversario has also traveled throughout the U.S. and to Costa Rica to participate in outreach programs, promoting awareness of communication disorders and services available. Last August, Ms. Aniversario joined the California Department of Education, Diagnostics Center, Southern California, to work with an interdisciplinary team of professionals to meet the educational needs of Southern California’s “most difficult-to-serve students enrolled in special education programs.”

Her specialty and experience includes working with children with autism or severe behavioral and emotional disturbances. She also possesses an additional credential in providing Assistive Technology, with a focus on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Furthermore, Ms. Aniversario is an active councilmember for ASHA’s Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

In working in the different areas, Ms. Aniversario reflects that a contributing factor to her satisfaction in this career is her active involvement in the field. While pursuing her Master’s Degree, Ms. Aniversario joined mentorship programs and ASHA’s Minority Student Leadership Program. Today, she currently mentors graduate students through ASHA, in addition to involving herself in many areas of this field.
In lieu of all her past achievements on a local, national, and international basis, Ms. Aniversario comments, “everything you do is about relationships…creating and maintaining them. It’s the relationships that I establish and the differences that I make with [families with needs] that mean more to me than anything else I’ve done.”

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What’s Ms. Aniversario’s secret?
A professor once told her, “’If you’re not willing to get out there and make some changes, then you’re in the wrong field.’ It’s about educating people, getting out there, and making a difference.”

Her advice?
Get involved! “You get out of everything, what you put into it.” So, what should you as a future SLP do? Join local and national NSSLHA! Enroll in a mentor/mentee program (for more information, visit http://www.asha.org). Get involved in any way you can!

Why us? Why get involved?
“Because there is a shortage. The profession, students, children, and parents need us to get involved. We make a difference in many lives in many ways. Sometimes it’s not in that direct 1-on-1 way…but we make a difference in people’s lives, whether we know it or not.”

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Looking back on all of her decisions and achievements thus far, Ms. Aniversario reflected, “For everyone, it’s a different path. It’s what you choose to do that makes a difference in this profession.”