Student Ethics Essay Award Recipients

The Student Ethics Essay Award (SEEA) program is conducted as part of ASHA's efforts to create awareness of the importance of ethical decision making as individuals prepare to start careers in audiology, speech-language pathology, or speech, language, and hearing sciences. Recipients of the SEEA are listed, and essay titles are available to read, for the last three years.

2023 SEEA Recipients

Topic: A Mindful Approach to Integrating Ethics Into Professional Practice

You’ve established a mindful approach to your daily professional practice and, as a next step, you’re working to mindfully integrate ethics to build a safe, rewarding, and successful practice. In your essay:

Discuss how you will make the Code of Ethics a living document in your daily practice.
Select one of the Principles and corresponding Rules below.
- Principle II: Individuals shall honor their responsibility to achieve and maintain the highest level of professional competence and performance.
  - Rule A: Individuals who hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence shall engage in only those aspects of the professions that are within the scope of their professional practice and competence, considering their certification status, education, training, and experience.
- Principle IV: Individuals shall uphold the dignity and autonomy of the professions, maintain collaborative and harmonious interprofessional and intraprofessional relationships, and accept the professions' self-imposed standards.
  - Rule R: Individuals shall comply with local, state, and federal laws and regulations applicable to professional practice, research ethics, and the responsible conduct of research.
Using the selected Principle and Rule
- describe your aspirational/reflective approach to applying this Principle and Rule in a clinical or research setting, and
- explain how your approach may minimize potential violations of the Code of Ethics.

2022 SEEA Recipients

Topic: Ethics and Discrimination

Sometimes, unethical discrimination can rise to the level of being unlawful discrimination. Even though not every form of discrimination meets the legal standard of being unlawful, such conduct can be unethical. In your essay, consider a scenario in the professions in which unethical discrimination may arise. Then, using the suggested ethics resources and the ASHA Code of Ethics (2016), (1) select at least two Principles and Rules from the list (Principle I, Rule C; Principle IV, Rule D; Principle IV, Rule G; Principle IV, Rule H; Principle IV, Rule L; Principle IV, Rule R), (2) describe how the Principles and Rules have been violated in your scenario, and (3) discuss what action(s) could have been taken to acknowledge and respond to the challenge or dilemma in order to prevent a violation of the Code of Ethics.

1st Place

Neli Vorobyov
William Paterson University (New Jersey)
Essay: Everyone has an Accent: Ethics in Colleague Relations

2nd Place

Teauna Brosseau Peters
University of Montana
Essay: Transgender Voice Therapy and Parental Consent

3rd Place

Connor Mahon
Cleveland State University (Ohio)
Essay: Misrepresentation of Credentials to Legitimize Discrimination

2021 SEEA Recipients

Topic: Ethics in Supervision

Consider the ethical issues that may arise when professional services are provided by student clinicians. In your essay, present a potential ethical challenge or dilemma that may be faced by a student clinician and/or supervisor in this scenario. Then, using ethics resources and the ASHA Code of Ethics (2016), (1) identify one or more Principles and the corresponding Rule(s) that you believe have been violated, (2) provide a rationale for your choice(s), and (3) discuss what action(s) could have been taken to acknowledge and respond to the challenge or dilemma in order to prevent a violation of the Code of Ethics.

1st Place

Audrey McMillion
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Essay: Continuing Education for Clinical Education and Mentoring Graduate Students

2nd Place

Katie Matofsky
Yeshiva University/Stern College for Women
Essay: When Ethics are Boiled Down to Regulations and Common Sense, the Clinical Supervisor has a Recipe for Success

3rd Place

Valerie Villanueva
Seton Hall University
Essay: Lead By Example—Ethical Considerations for Supervisors and Student Clinicians

2020 SEEA Recipients

Topic: Cultural Competence in Service Provision: Ethical Considerations

Consider the cultural background, experiences, and/or possible biases of clinicians and their clients related to cultural and linguistic diversity. In your essay, present a potential ethical challenge or dilemma related to these differing perspectives that may be faced by a clinician when providing services to clients and their families. Then, using ethics resources and the ASHA Code of Ethics (2016), identify one or more Principles and the corresponding Rule(s) that you believe have been violated, and provide a rationale for your choice(s). Finally, discuss what action(s) could have been taken to acknowledge and respond to the challenge or dilemma in order to prevent a violation of the Code of Ethics.