Decibels

Scholarship Award

Megan Strachan

Hi, my name is Megan Strachan and I’m so honored to be a Decibels Scholar! I’m from Silver Spring, Maryland, and got my Bachelor’s degree in Health Science from Clemson University in South Carolina. I’m currently in my second year at Emerson College, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to continue in the Thayer Lindsley Program this year. I discovered my passion for speech-language pathology when I was in college working as an aide at a pediatric physical, occupational, and speech therapy practice. I was excited to attend Emerson College for graduate school after I learned about the unique opportunity to participate in the Thayer Lindsley Program. When I started in the program last spring, I quickly realized the value in being able to work directly with caregivers to design sessions together based on their goals and values. I have learned so much from each family in the program, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to continue in the program as a Decibels scholar. I look forward to learning more ASL and family coaching strategies through my involvement in the Thayer Lindsley program this spring, and I’m eager to continue using a family-centered approach throughout my career as a speech-language pathologist. 

Ellen Kurtzer-White Award

Judy B. Favro

Meet Judy B. Favro, Education Supervisor at the SEEM Collaborative Program for Deaf and Hard

of Hearing Children in Reading, MA. A Teacher of the Deaf since earning her Master’s degree in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University in 1989, Judy has expertise in more areas of

education than can be counted on both hands, including teaching deaf and hard of hearing preschool, early elementary, upper elementary, special needs students, staff sign language

classes in SEE II: “Signing Exact English”, community-based sign classes, and parent sign classes.

In addition to her primary role as a teacher at SEEM since 2005, and previously at CAPS Collaborative and Beverly School for the Deaf, Judy has been an auditory specialist, staff

supervisor, administrator, consultant and advisor to teachers in many different school districts, and a collaborator/partner with a host of specialists who service her students. Over the years, she has mentored countless teaching assistants and new teachers. The daughter of an educator dad and an artist mom, Judy brings into all of her teaching an endless creativity and an amazingly keen sense of what each child needs in order to thrive.

While supporting her students in all the ways they need, she creates an environment where they can have high expectations and can believe in themselves as capable learners. But perhaps her greatest gift to her students is how she infuses the importance of kindness towards others,

whether communicating with words or without them. Judy’s students love being in her classroom, as can be seen in the above photo!