CLARKSVILLE, TN − When Shaylan Barber needs to find her purpose, she doesn’t have to look far. Her 2025 American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) Educational Symposium lanyard now serves as a reflection of her professional journey. Covered in pins exchanged with other students from around the country, it reminds her of her aspirations and why she sought a leadership role with the national assembly.
“It feels like an accomplishment,” said Barber, a senior radiography major at Austin Peay State University. “To come home and see these pins, to remember the people I talked to and all I learned about their states and programs … [they] made me feel like I’m part of something really big and that my thoughts and experiences matter.”
Barber was chosen to represent Tennessee at the ASRT Educational Symposium in Reno, Nevada through the Student to Leadership Development Program (SLDP), which offers education, mentorship, and governance opportunities. She experienced a detailed advocacy training initiative with students from around the country that covered leadership competencies, health policy, and reform issues affecting medical imaging and radiation therapy professions.
The three-year program also features monthly meetings and mentoring, giving students like Barber an expansive team of people in their corner as they begin their careers. The goal is to develop the next generation of ASRT leaders through early immersion in advocacy. Dr. Jennifer Thompson, who leads the radiologic technologist program at Austin Peay, is herself a strong advocate for the profession and has passed that passion onto her students.
In Reno, Barber immersed herself in the conference programming, which offered sessions for people at all levels of the industry. She and her peers explored the diverse approaches and program structures at different universities, ultimately learning more about how to break into the profession.
Barber kept her cohort at Austin Peay updated on her adventures via a text chain, shedding light on the high-level discussions impacting their futures.
“One of the first requirements of our program is to become a member of the ASRT,” Barber said. “But we truly had no idea what the ASRT was doing for us. Now, I can talk about the different things being published, the different routes that are being offered to different modalities, and the fight for more recognition of the field. I think it’s really impactful for me, our program and our cohort to learn more about these advocates for the profession. After going through this program, I know I am seen and heard.”
Barber encouraged anyone considering the SLDP to take the plunge and prepare for a life-changing experience.
“I’m a really shy person,” she said. “Meeting new people can be intimidating, but it’s been rewarding to return and recognize how I’ve grown as a person and learned the profession in a deeper and more profound way. Apply and enjoy every bit of it.”