Cohort 2

My educational background is in linguistics, early childhood education, and American Sign Language. I'm really benefiting from this grant program's focus on interdisciplinary collaboration with special education teachers. My goal is to work with kids in schools which will require strong interpersonal communication and collaboration skills, so I'm grateful for the head start!

Hi, I’m Simone! My educational and professional background includes modern languages, elementary education, and social work. I’m currently in my third year of an extended masters program for Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at CSUEB. Being a part of the LISTEN grant has not only provided me with the opportunity to grow my understanding of and experience with AAC, but has also allowed for abundant collaboration with my SLP and SPED peers. The light at the end of the graduate school tunnel is approaching and I look forward to working in an elementary school setting. In my down time I enjoy reading, embroidery and being outdoors.

California where she attended CSU, Channel Islands, and earned a BS in Business. Jaded by the experience, she then went on to follow her passion for words and language by earning a Masters Degree in Linguistics at CSU, Northridge. After moving around California, she finally settled in the Bay Area with her husband and son. With her theoretical background in Linguistics, it seemed a natural transition to pursue a practical degree in Speech-Language Pathology at CSU, East Bay. After completing her degree, she plans to work as an SLP in a school district in the East Bay with a focus on working with students communicating with augmentative and alternative communication. Her side passions include sewing, stamp carving, and leatherwork, though she will make just about anything if she feels like it.

I’m Brenda Herrera and I received my bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Nevada, Reno with a minor in Human Development. For the interdisciplinary project, I worked with Sarahi Gonzalez who is a wonderful special education graduate student! We worked together in Dr. Kemper’s TACLE classroom during the extended school year, and I gained experience collaborating with teachers and staff. This was a great experience to utilize all modes of communication within a classroom full of diverse communicators. At my current internship, I use the iPad provided by the grant program daily with my students to model language using their various AAC applications. I hope to continue working with this population and am thoroughly enjoying my experience so far! 

Hello, I’m Sarahi Gonzalez, a year two student working towards my M.S. for Special Education MMSN. I am currently working as an intern in the school district I attended as a child. I am honored to serve in the community that raised me. My community is vastly diverse and our students need advocates now more than ever, I hope to fulfill that need for my students. The LISTEN Grant has allowed me to learn so much about students with limited verbal capabilities and how to support them. Thanks to the collaborative and practical format of the interdisciplinary project I got the amazing opportunity to work alongside an aspiring Speech Language Pathologist, Brenda Herrera, in Dr. Kemper’s TACLE classroom. For the duration of the project I had hands-on practice on implementing various modes of communication, I got to collaborate with my SLP partner, and receive valuable support and feedback from Dr. Kemper herself. I am so grateful for all that I learned, and I am so excited for what is to come. I hope to take in as much experience as I can to be the best educator and advocate for my students, I feel that this grant is guiding me on that path. 

Hello, My name is Cristina Lopez Calderon. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Latina/Latino Studies at San Francisco State. Currently I am a Education Specialist Master’s Degree Student at Cal State East Bay, pursuing a concentration in the Mild to Moderate. Through this LISTEN Program I have learned strategies and techniques that will enable me to work with students who have language, speech, and communication goals. My AAC goal is that I may understand the effective communication roles that affect students in sensory and motor status to provide the highest quality of life possible for these students. Another goal is to promote advocacy support roles for students who require additional support needs.

My name is Corine Perreira. I am a 2nd year graduate student working towards my M.S. for Special Education with mild to moderate support needs. I completed my undergrad at CSU East Bay majoring in Liberal Studies with a minor in Human Development. I currently work on an intern credential as a resource teacher in a small title 1 elementary school in the east bay. My participation in the LISTEN grant has helped me learn so much from collaborating with the other special education teachers and speech language pathologists in the program. I have also learned new ways in which I can collaborate with the SLP at my school site to best serve our shared students. I have a better understanding of AAC and am more prepared to answer questions from parents and my colleagues in the general education classrooms that I co-teach with. Ultimately, my participation in the program has made me a better teacher, IEP team member, and advocate for the children I work with. When I am not at work or school, I like to explore the outdoors and visit new places with my family and friends.

Hi! My name is Rocio Escobar, I’m Salvadoran-American and a first-generation graduate student. I attended CSUEB for my undergraduate degree in psychology and am currently working on my masters in speech language pathology. I have worked in the ABA field for the past 5 years which is how I was introduced to the world of AAC! I currently participate in AAC research with Dr. Elena Dukhovny and am working on my thesis regarding curriculum for caregivers of AAC users. Being a part of the LISTEN grant gives me the opportunity to collaborate with amazing peers in SLP and SPED. In the future, my goal is to become an AAC specialist and focus my work on supporting bilingual families of AAC users in the Bay Area.