- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/cassandra-steele/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:27:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Event raises nearly $55k for audiology and speech pathology students; recent grad gets unexpected surprise /news-archive/2017/06/14/jazz-and-juleps/ Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:27:34 +0000 /news/?p=67308 ... Event raises nearly $55k for audiology and speech pathology students; recent grad gets unexpected surprise]]> The May 25 event, which was held at the Clinton Presidential Center, honored Cassandra Steele, director of special programs for the and a 1988 graduate of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. All funds raised from the event will go toward an endowed scholarship fund in Steele鈥檚 name. In her role at Little Rock School District, Steele oversees nearly 60 speech pathologists and more than 200 special education teachers. They provide services to about 2,700 students who receive special education lessons within the district. During her speech, Steele gave one recent graduate of the joint 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock-University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences audiology and speech pathology graduate program the surprise of a lifetime.
Cassandra Steele (left) celebrates Madison White's (right) acceptance of a job offer as a speech-language pathologist with the Little Rock School District. Photo by Nelson Cheanault.

Cassandra Steele (left) celebrates Madison White’s (right) acceptance of a job offer as a speech-language pathologist with the Little Rock School District. Photo by Nelson Cheanault.

During the 2016-17 academic year, Steele helped establish a partnership in which 10 audiology and speech pathology graduate students from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and 糖心Vlog传媒MS earned professional experience and stipends by serving as interns with Little Rock School District. Steele asked one of the interns, Madison White, to come to the stage during Jazz and Juleps. Believing that she was there to tell the crowd about her experiences as an intern, White was quite surprised when Steele offered her a job as a speech-language pathologist with Little Rock School District. 鈥淎s I walked to the front and stood next to her, I was thinking about what I would say about my intern experience,鈥 White said. 鈥淪o I was completely caught off guard when she offered me a job. I was overwhelmed by the immediate amount of support and encouragement I received from everyone at the event, and I was so flattered that she would honor me in that way during her speech as the event honoree.鈥 After congratulating White, Steele encouraged 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alumni to find ways to give back. 鈥淲hen you graduate from the department, you know that you are equipped to be the best in the profession,鈥 Steele said. 鈥淎s you delve into life after school, never pass on an opportunity to teach, mentor, or to serve. Together, we can accomplish so much for those with speech and hearing difficulties.鈥 In the upper right photo, celebrity auctioneer Craig O’Neill takes pictures with the upbeat crowd at the 8th annual Jazz and Juleps event at the Clinton Presidential Center. Photo by Nelson Chenault.聽]]> Cassandra Steele to be honored at 2017 Jazz & Juleps /news-archive/2017/04/12/cassandra-steele-2017-jazz-juleps/ Wed, 12 Apr 2017 08:28:40 +0000 /news/?p=66831 ... Cassandra Steele to be honored at 2017 Jazz & Juleps]]> The Thursday, May 25, event, which celebrates Better Speech and Hearing Month, will be held at the Clinton Presidential Library in downtown Little Rock. Doors open at 6 p.m. There will be a silent auction and a live auction will begin at 7:30 p.m. Craig O鈥橬eill of KTHV will serve as the special guest auctioneer. The honoree, Cassandra Steele, is the director of special programs for the, where she previously held the position of coordinator of speech and hearing services for 14 years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to be honored, but I consider myself more of a behind-the-scenes person,鈥 Steele said. 鈥淭he things I have accomplished for children with hearing and speech-language disorders are very rewarding, but it鈥檚 not something for which I seek credit out front. I enjoy seeing the improvement in communicative skills and partnering with parents and individuals in the community to better lives for children with hearing and speech disorders.鈥 In her role at Little Rock School District, Steele oversees nearly 60 speech pathologists and more than 200 special education teachers who work with the more than 2,700 students who receive special education lessons within the district. 鈥淢y job is one of those jobs that touches the lives of so many different people from all backgrounds,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t just crosses all cultures, all socioeconomic backgrounds. Serving children and serving people with disabilities is one of those things that you just love.鈥 Among her accomplishments is the formation of a parent advisory committee to help guide professional development for teachers and to serve as a resource for parents of children with disabilities. She also formed a partnership with educators from Japan to facilitate a learning environment for Japanese students with disabilities. 聽 In the higher education arena, she helped establish a partnership that started during the 2016-17 school year that allows 10 audiology and speech pathology graduate students from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to earn practical experience and stipends by working with students in Little Rock School District. All proceeds from the event will be used to create an endowed scholarship fund in Steele鈥檚 name to assist future students in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology. Steele, who graduated from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 1988, was previously recognized as the 2014 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni of the Year for the College of Education and Health Professions for her outstanding service on the Audiology and Speech Pathology Development Council. She is the first graduate of the audiology and speech pathology department to be named the Jazz & Juleps honoree. Tickets are $50, of which $30 is tax deductible, and will be available at the door. Tickets also can be ordered online. Sponsorships are available. For more information or sponsorship opportunities, contact Kristi Smith, senior director of development for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Office of Alumni and Development, at klsmith4@ualr.edu or 501.569.8739. More about Cassandra Steele: Steele graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 1984. She next earned a master鈥檚 degree in audiology and speech pathology from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 1988. Steele is currently working toward the education specialist certificate in educational administration and supervision. Steele and her husband, former state Sen. Tracy Steele, live in North Little Rock and have two children. Their daughter, Sumone, is a sophomore at Tennessee State University and their son, Tracy, is an eighth-grader at North Little Rock Middle School. She belongs to multiple organizations whose missions encourage quality of life and leadership, including the local chapter of the American Heart Association, Greater Little Rock Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association.]]>