Meet Caitlyn Jodon, the 2019 IVLA college scholarship winner!

Caitlyn will be attending the University of Arizona to study to become a speech-language pathologist. Caitlyn found her passion for speech-language pathology while volunteering for the Best Buddies program in high school, where she met and befriended many students with intellectual disabilities. She was also a teacher’s assistant for a special education classroom, where she assisted on a daily basis. During her high school career, Caitlyn was involved in many extra-curricular activities including the Key Club, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and her church youth group.

“I am so honored to have been selected for IVLA's very first annual scholarship. I appreciate every single penny that will help me further my education and pursue my goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist. Thank you, IVLA, for investing in my education!” – Caitlyn Jodon

To learn more or apply to the 2020 IVLA scholarship program, please visit https://internationalvla.com/college-scholarship-from-ivla/. This opportunity is open to any learner with the desire to achieve a higher education at a U.S. accredited college, university, or trade school. IVLA understands that there are countless paths and destinations for success. Students who aspire to attend any accredited higher education program of any major or focus of study can apply for the scholarship program if they meet the scholarship criteria.

If you or someone you know has one or more years left of their education at an accredited U.S. college or trade school, share this scholarship opportunity!

Caitlyn's Winning Essay:

To someone who has little knowledge of programming languages, algorithms, and binary code, today’s technology sometimes seems like something straight out of Harry Potter. The Digital Revolution has changed how we function as a society, from transportation to communication and even to the classroom. My education has been affected by advances in technology that have allowed me to obtain easy access to information and better communicate with my teachers and peers. But most importantly, it has made my learning come to life.
Since entering high school, the internet has become a life saver in that information is instantly accessible. If I need to know how to say “income” in Spanish, how to cite a source in APA style, or how to perform a chi-square goodness of fit test, information is only a few keystrokes away. Instead of spending hours in the library, I can pull up the internet. Not only that, but this accessibility to information fosters a sense of curiosity that is not hampered by the process of combing through pages of tiny, printed words for the answer. The questions I’ve always wondered about can be answered effortlessly. Instead of spending time of finding the answer, I can spend time reflecting on what I can do with that information.
Technology has also transformed the way we communicate with one another, including in the classroom. It allows me to communicate more easily with my teachers and classmates. If I have any questions, I can email my teachers, who usually respond within an hour. My peers and I can also communicate through texting or sharing documents through Google Drive. We help one another succeed by sharing ideas and collaborating on projects from the comfort of our own homes. Without the technology we have today, this type of collaboration would be impossible.
With new technology comes a host of new learning tools. Instead of just learning about the 13th Amendment, I got to watch how it might have unfolded in the movie Lincoln. Instead of reading from a textbook about immigration, I have seen photos of real people with lives so different from my own. My education has been deeply impacted by technology, as it has shown me the other side of every story. It has contributed to my development not only as a student, but as a person as well--someone who can better empathize with the people around her.
The convenience and accessibility of technology have thoroughly enriched my educational journey. It has saved me so much time that I can put to good use in other ways. Technology helps me speed up the busy work so that I can focus on exploring, discovering, and creating. Without it, I would spend more time rewriting drafts than improving them, more brain power researching an answer than analyzing its implications, and more energy reading about people than meeting them. Just like Hermione’s time-turner, modern technology is a magical tool that leaves me more time to save the world (or something like that).