Science Student Spotlight: Mariana Mejia-Turnbull

Mariana Mejía Turnbull is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Audiology (Au.D.) Program. Mariana is originally from Mexico where she was working as an audiologist before coming to New York City to start the Au.D. program. Her passion for audiology started since her bachelor’s degree at the Universidad de las Américas in Mexico City. Mariana studied Human Communication Disorders and in her clinical rotations was able to experience what access to sound through hearing aids or cochlear implants can do for children with hearing loss.

Mariana is currently completing her clinical Audiology residency year at the NYU Langone Cochlear Implant Center. She is working hard to strengthen her clinical skills regarding cochlear implants with the goal of someday being able to help deaf and hard of hearing children in her country achieve the best possible outcomes. Additionally, she wants to deepen her knowledge of the field in order to teach and train new generations of audiologists in Mexico, specifically in the subjects of pediatric audiology and cochlear implants.

Mariana has been a two-time recipient of the P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund (IPS). Established in 1949, the IPS Fund is a program which provides scholarships for selected women from other countries for graduate study in the United States or Canada. The goal of this association and the Chapters that contribute with it is not just to help finance education for women, but to also enrich the student´s experience while in the US. In 2020 Mariana had the privilege of participating in some Chapter zoom meetings as well as being presented as a scholarship recipient at the 2021 PEO NJ State Convention.

In addition to her passion for audiology, Mariana is an avid runner. In 2020 she completed the virtual New York City Marathon, running 26.2 miles for the first time and was able to get a guaranteed entry for the in-person New York City Marathon in 2022.