AnnMarie Ippolito and Marlena Davis at the ArkSHA Convention

Author: AnnMarie Ippolito | Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders | Semester: Spring 2025

Hi everyone, my name is AnnMarie Ippolito, and I am an undergraduate student majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders and minoring in Human Development and Family Sciences. The goal of my honors project was to investigate the need for traumatic brain injury (TBI) support groups, along with what curriculum and design in a TBI support group would best address prevalent and overlooked issues individuals with TBI face. First, I performed a systematic literature review of 8 resources that explored the significance of support groups for those with a TBI and their caregivers, focusing on the specific issues they face. I then spent around 7 months observing 4 different support groups (through UAMS and Brain Injury Association of Arkansas) and accumulated around 45 hours in these groups. During these groups, I gathered data on the beneficial curriculum and design for a support group with individuals with a TBI. Then, based on this data, I created a 16-week support group for individuals with a TBI in Northwest Arkansas ages 18 and up.

For my trip, we did not go too far, just to the University of Central Arkansas in Conway! I went with a few other students in my cohort to the Arkansas Speech Language Hearing Association’s annual conference called ArkSHA! I went to disseminate my work and present it to relevant professionals who could use the resources I created. This trip contributed to my professional development by growing my interpersonal and public speaking skills. It was quite intimidating explaining my past two years’ worth of work to people who are way farther into their careers than I am, but it was such a good opportunity for confidence building and networking. The conference was super educational, and I got to hear many different presentations about stuttering, dementia care, expressive language, etc.… My favorite presentation was one that some professors at the University of Central Arkansas did about their dementia care program that provides therapy for patients and clinical experiences for their graduate students. They have a program that SLP students can sign up for where they plan interactive therapy for people with dementia and once a week, patients in Conway come to the university and receive the care. It was inspiring to see professionals who are 30 plus years into their career and are still so excited about what they do. Seriously, every clinician I met at this event was so passionate about what they do, which is one of the reasons I want to join the field of speech-language pathology. After this, I am now feeling so relieved that all the hard work is paying off and is coming to a close. Graduate school application decisions are coming back, and I’ll be deciding where to take my education next…hopefully, it’s the University of Arkansas! I am very grateful for all of the experiences the Honors College has provided for me; it has changed my education for the better. If anyone is reading this and wondering if they should join honors, do it!