Cohort 4

Carla is a second year CCX student with a background in behavioral therapy and psychology. She also loves singing and has a passion for voice, hosting karaoke events in San Francisco. As a result, she is very curious about gender-affirming voice therapy and other approaches that may incorporate song or prosody. Carla is a former ballroom dance instructor who is also interested in pragmatics and non verbal communication. She is so excited to learn more about how to use AAC in her practice and hopes to learn ASL through a summer class this year. 

Jia is a passionate early intervention practitioner, who has worked as an early childhood special education teacher and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. With over 9 years of experience in early intervention and two Master's degrees (Applied Psychology and Special Education), Jia embarks on the new adventure of becoming a speech-language pathologist. She is excited to be part of SLHS department of East Bay, learning new clinical skills and continuing to make positive impact on the lives of young children and their families. 

Hello! My name is Sofia Rubio and I am a first-year student in the M.S. program in Speech-Language Pathology. I completed my undergraduate coursework at Wellesley College where I majored in Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences. I have research experience in the world of linguistics, speech production planning, and child language acquisition and am excited to begin shifting to a more clinical and applied field. I am passionate about working with individuals, especially children, with complex communication needs and I am hopeful that the LISTEN program will give me the tools and experiences I will need to best serve this population. I am looking forward to collaborating with my LISTEN peers across both the SLP and Special Education programs as well as eagerly anticipating my future career as a speech-language pathologist! 

My name is Anna and I am currently in the mild/mod education specialist program while also pursuing a masters degree of special education. I grew up in Fremont and earned my undergraduate degree at CSUEB with a bachelors of arts in liberal studies with a minor in human development. I am the teacher of record for the New Haven Intensive Counseling-Enriched Program at the alternative high school. I am eager for this opportunity to be able to integrate evidence-based education, fieldwork, and service learning in order to help support our students with complex communication needs. Being able to work together with speech-language pathologists will help us with future collaborations in different school settings. 

I am a first year teacher at Redwood Heights Elementary School. I teach Special Education for 3rd-5th grade in the TACLE program. I enjoy long walks on the beach and making people laugh. 

Hello! My name is Alex Camacho, and I am currently a part of CSUEB’s Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences 2 year graduate program. I completed my undergraduate work at CSUEB as well, where I received my B.S. in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, and my SLPA Certification. I have previously worked as a Behavior Technician for 2 years providing services for a variety of populations with Autism. Through this line of work, and my internship to attain my SLPA License, I received exposure to AAC usage and training. In addition, these experiences have also given me the opportunity to work with other professionals in an interdisciplinary context, something that I hope to continue. With an intervention approach that centers around evidence-based practice, and most importantly, fun and motivation, I am excited to begin as a LISTEN scholar to continue honing my skills and serving the community! 

Hello, my name is Nika. I have five years of experience teaching in the Air Force, and I am a parent of a child diagnosed with a communication disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This has given me valuable insight into navigating special education from a parent's perspective. Following my time in the Air Force, I obtained a bachelor's degree in International Relations and pursued my first master's degree in International Studies before returning to the field of education. Currently, I am working towards a master's degree in Special Education at Cal State East Bay, to teach students with mild to moderate needs who often use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to enhance their communication. After graduation, I aim to leverage my expertise in AAC to further my career in Special Education.

Lily is a third-year graduate student in the CCX program in Speech-Language and Hearing Science at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB). She holds a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley and has extensive professional experience working with children and families. Over the years, she has served in various roles, including county social worker, Spanish teacher, and substitute teacher for K-12 students.

Lily lives in Brentwood with her husband and their three teenagers. Together, they enjoy caring for their menagerie of pets and attending concerts, particularly those showcasing 80s bands.

Lily is excited to be part of the LISTEN program, where she is deepening her knowledge and skills in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Through this program she aims to gain hands-on experience in using diverse AAC methods to support special student populations.

Hello! My name is Marzia Hernandez and I am a second year student in the Special Education Master Science program in Mild to Moderate Support Needs. I grew up in El Salvador and earned my bachelor in Business Administration there. I love teaching and I am passionate about supporting students with special needs. Currently, I am a teacher of records for Lake Elementary school in West Contra Costa Unified School District. I am excited with the opportunity to participate in the LISTEN project which will bring the chance to expand my knowledge and collaborate together with speech language pathologists to integrate some evidence based practices into our daily services. In my spare time I love cooking and spending time with my beautiful daughter and my lovely husband. I am looking forward to gaining on hand experiences in this project.