About Me

My interest in research was ignited during my undergraduate career at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), where I had the opportunity of working as a research assistant in Dr. Lauren Calandruccio’s Speech and Auditory Research Lab. In this role, I became deeply fascinated by the transformative power of research in the development of assessments, evidence-based practices, and instruments to address varying communication disorders. As a native Spanish speaker and Latine individual, I have a unique awareness on how cultural and linguistic factors can impact Latine families’ access to education, resources, and interventions for communication disorders. This personal perspective has fueled my commitment to advancing the limited research on bilingual populations and individuals who speak a language other than English. After graduating CWRU, I pursued my master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology with a Bilingual Track at Indiana University, Bloomington. While working closely with Spanish-English bilingual families, I observed the critical shortage of bilingual prevention, assessments, treatment tools, and multilingual speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and Audiologists (AuDs). This gap creates significant barriers to receiving and delivering culturally and linguistically responsive services, further underlining the need for increased bilingual resources and clinicians.

Professional and Clinical Experience

Southwest Cook County Cooperative Association for Special Education (SWCCCASE) | Chicago, IL

August 2023 – July 2024

Clinical Fellow in Speech-Language Pathology + Special Education Co-Teacher

  • Conducted speech and language evaluations for students in grades 3rd through 5th

  • Collaborated daily with co-teacher and social worker on academic and functional teaching plans

  • Developed and implemented speech and language therapy goals for students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Emotional Disturbance (ED), Hearing Impairment (HI), and Other Health Impairments (OHI)

Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital | Wheaton, IL

March 2023 – June 2023

Graduate Extern in Speech-Language Pathology: Stroke Unit

  • Facilitated individual and group meal training sessions focused on swallowing strategies and recommendations

  • Implemented treatment plans for adult patients (ages 26 to 98) directed by supervising speech-language pathologist

  • Conducted, documented, and reported on speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing evaluations for monolingual and bilingual adult patients

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 | Chicago, IL

January 2023 – March 2023

Graduate Extern in Speech-Language Pathology

  • Conducted and documented monolingual and bilingual speech and language evaluations

  • Reported speech and language assessment and performance data during Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings

  • Implemented treatment plans for students in Pre-K through 5th grade across 4 schools as directed by speech-language pathologists

Research Experience

Speech and Auditory Research (SpAR) Laboratory | Cleveland, OH

August 2024 – Present

Graduate Research Assistant

  • Document and track lab project tasks

  • Lead stimuli development for Spanish speech recognition tests

  • Contribute to editing and refining undergraduate research papers and posters

Master’s Thesis | Bloomington, IN

January 2022 – July 2023

Graduate Clinical Researcher

  • Designed and administrated a qualitative research study regarding Hispanic/Latine parents’ perceptions, understanding, and satisfaction with their children’s school-based speech-language pathology services

  • Recruited, consented, and interviewed 7 parent participants

  • Analyzed parent interviews and surveys utilizing thematic analysis

Language Experience and Multilingualism Research (LEMuR) Laboratory | Bloomington, IN

January 2022 – December 2022

Graduate Research Assistant

  • Translated Institutional Review Board (IRB) documents and research materials from English to Spanish

  • Contributed to the development of an online research study on Gorilla Experiment Builder focused on word learning for bilingual children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Speech and Auditory Research (SpAR) Laboratory | Cleveland, OH

January 2018 – June 2021

Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Administered over 100 hearing screenings for research purposes

  • Led data collection for a five-person team and analyzed speech perception reports

  • Recruited, consented, and tested 150+ research participants for speech and auditory studies

Education

Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH - Expected: May 2028

Ph.D. Communication Sciences

Indiana University | Bloomington, IN - June 2023

M.A. Speech-Language Pathology | Bilingual Track (STEPS)

Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH - May 2021

B.A. Communication Sciences and Psychology