Madison Hastain’s academic journey at 鶹 shows just how powerful a single class, or a single mentor, can be. As a first-year student, she discovered the field of speech-language pathology during an introductory health professions course. The experience inspired her to change majors that very day.
In her junior year, under the mentorship of Dr. Kathryn Schwartz, Madison was introduced to audiology - a moment that shifted her aspirations once again. “If it weren't for the advice and encouragement from my professors, friends, and family, I wouldn't have had the courage to change majors,” she says.
Her hard work and determination were recognized when she was named the Outstanding Scholar for the College of Health Sciences - an honor she learned about weeks before commencement but only realized would be announced publicly moments before the ceremony.
The next stop in Madison's journey is the Doctor of Audiology program at UNC Chapel Hill, a program tied for second nationally and ranked as the top public audiology program in the country. She looks forward to gaining hands-on clinical experience and giving back to the community in a meaningful way.
Her advice to future students? “Don’t feel the need to fix yourself on any one academic avenue. Keep an open mind, and take courses you find interesting or have never taken before. These experiences could open doors you never knew existed.”