Emily Cowette, a senior majoring in speech, language and hearing sciences (SLHS) and minoring in human development and family studies, utilizes the Steps to Leaps pillars as a student to maintain a balanced and successful academic life. Taking care of her well-being, exploring leadership opportunities, examining her impact, networking and grit have helped her flourish.
Cowette is heavily involved on campus. Outside of school, she is busy performing in her third year as Purdue’s 32nd Golden Girl for the Purdue “All-American” Marching band (AAMB). She is a member of the SLHS Student Advocacy Council, which comprises a selected group of undergraduate and graduate students who regularly meet with legislators, professional associations and the Communication Sciences and Disorders program in Indiana to promote education, engagement and collaboration. One of the projects that Cowette has worked on with the SLHS Student Advocacy Council was a legislative day recognizing speech communication disorders at the Indiana State Capital building. In addition, Cowette also takes part in the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA), which is a national student organization for those studying communication sciences and disorders. Cowette is also on the Student Life Advisory Board with Beth McCuskey, vice provost for Student Life, and a member of Chi Omega Sorority.
Cowette prioritized getting involved on campus to expand her impact. Hailing from New Hampshire, she was concerned about being so far from home without built in connections on campus. To ease this worry, she stayed busy and exposed herself to as many new groups as possible, building a network of new friends and relationships from scratch her first year on campus. Twirling as a Golden Girl connected her with the Greater Lafayette community. Her performances and volunteer work via AAMB made her feel at home in Indiana. Outside of AAMB, she attended a great number of callouts for clubs, helping her meet other students in her major. Cowette emphasizes that networking in her major was essential as a student, as it broadened her reach on campus and enhanced her experiences as a first-year student and beyond.
Cowette’s participation in clubs made it a necessity to develop her leadership skills. Serving on the Student Life Advisory Board cultivated Cowette as a young leader and put her in touch with other student leaders and inspirational faculty on campus. Student Life Advisory Board brings in guest speakers to further its impact on students by introducing young leaders to developed leaders in the community, including Purdue President Mung Chiang.
Outside of the Student Life Advisory Board, Cowette flourishes as a leader in a wide variety of organizations. She served as a mentor for the Health and Human Sciences Mentor Program for a year, providing students with resources. As the Golden Girl for the AAMB, Cowette is responsible for leading the band. Occupying this position for three years has made it both easier and more fun to be a leader.
Cowette emphasizes the importance of getting involved early to students eager to tackle leadership. Despite being from out of state and overwhelmed her first semester, Cowette prioritized taking steps to leap out of her comfort zone. She believes that it’s never too late to get involved and that putting yourself out there is the key to finding personal, academic and professional success. Persisting through the various challenges new students face to be involved led her to achieve on campus and beyond.
To succeed as a leader, the Steps to Leaps pillars assert the need to prioritize personal well-being. Reflecting on how she takes care of herself, Cowette says that she learned to lean on her friends. In her sorority, she found wonderful friends that she often relies on to get through college life. When she has a stressful exam coming up, Cowette often gathers her friends taking the same exam to form a study group. When learning to take care of her well-being, she learned the importance of leaning on friends for support and encouragement.
Looking forward, Cowette plans to complete a two-year master’s program to be a medical speech language pathologist in a hospital setting. With the use of the learning pillars of well-being, leadership, impact, networks and grit she is empowered to succeed both as a student and as a professional.
If you want to add Emily Cowette to your network, connect with her on LinkedIn.