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Wednesday, September 10, 2025
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Speech and Hearing Center Brings Zest to the New School Year
From left, Caron Hinton, Devon Perry, and Ruth Perez Mercado dispense wisdom (and refreshments)
September 9, 2025
At the fall orientation for new student clinicians at the Lehman College Speech and Hearing Center, faculty introduced the theme “Seize and Squeeze the Day — Lemon-aide for All” to symbolize the transformative power of speech-language therapy. Lemons reflected the raw realities of communication challenges; while the “squeeze” represented the persistence, preparation, and evidence-based strategies student clinicians bring to the work; and “aide” signified the compassion, creativity, and lived experiences students contribute, which transform barriers into growth and progress for clients and themselves.
“To say lemon-aide for all is to affirm our commitment to access and equity—ensuring communication as a human right for all,” explained Leslie Crusco-Grubler, director of Clinical Education and Clinical Services, who noted that each semester the Center adopts a food- or drink-based theme to foster connection during orientation. Students embraced the gesture this year, donning yellow, taking photos, and sharing lemonade. “It seemed to bring out the child within each of us,” Crusco-Grubler said.