WKU News

A longtime speech therapist at the Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex is getting some much deserved recognition. 

Caroline Hudson recently received the Tri-SKY Champions for Children Community Collaboration Award.  Amy Bingham talks with her about it in this week’s View from the Hill. 

 “Always a bright spot of the day definitely is the time I get to spend in the Renshaw Early Childhood Center.”

When it comes to communicating with children, Caroline Hudson is an expert.  

“Those little brains of young children five and under, I mean that’s when we want to be right there involved in the care.”

For nearly a decade, Hudson has been the Director of Speech Language Pathology at the Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex. 

It was a career she prepared for as a student at WKU. 

“I kind of just stumbled into the clinic that at that time was in Tate Page Hall and did some observation work there and really was just hooked from that moment on.”

Her hard work and dedication was recognized recently when she received the Tri-SKY Champion for Children Community Collaboration Award.

“Because Caroline makes such a difference for us as educators and for these children and their families.”

She was nominated by Renshaw Early Childhood Center Director Beth Schaeffer. 

 “She looks at a child you know from a different perspective than we do.  We’re looking at the whole child and she’s really looking at communication which is vital to a child’s being.”

It’s that type of collaboration Hudson says impacts the whole family. 

“And that’s really always our goal to empower these parents and careivers to feel like the primary agents of change in their children’s lives.”

While the recognition wasn’t expected, Hudson says she’s honored and humbled to receive the Community Collaborator award. "We are behind the scenes people."

“You know this was a real sweet treat and I’m very, very appreciative of it.”