ASPIRE Scholars

Tess Fruchtman, MA, BCBA, LBS, NYS LBA received her bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in disability studies from The Ohio State University in 2020. She completed her master's degree in applied behavior analysis from Queens College, City University of New York in 2023, under the mentorship of Dr. Joshua Jessel. She is currently an ASPIRE scholar and PhD student in the special education program at Temple University, under the advisement of Dr. Art Dowdy. She has implemented the principles of behavior analysis in both outpatient clinic and home settings with a variety of children with different diagnoses, ages, and backgrounds. Most of her clinical experience has involved using and training students on the practical functional assessment (PFA) and skill-based treatment (SBT). Her research interests include trauma-informed assessment and treatment of challenging behavior in autistic children, PFA and SBT, functional analysis methodology, neurodiversity-affirming interventions, and open science practices. Tess has presented research at state and national behavior analytic and special education conferences. She has co-authored peer-reviewed articles in Behavior Analysis in Practice and Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and served as an ad-hoc reviewer for Behavior Analysis in Practice and Journal of Special Education Technology. She is the current student representative for the Philadelphia Metropolitan Association for Behavior Analysis (PMABA) and a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellow at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Katie Kostin, M.S.T, is an ASPIRE scholar and certified Teacher of Students with Disabilities, (PA, NJ). After earning her bachelor’s degree in History at Rutgers University, she began her teaching career in South Korea. Upon return to the United States, Katie attended SUNY, Potsdam where she was awarded the Graduate Diversity Fellowship, and earned a Master’s in the Science of Teaching.  While teaching, Katie obtained graduate certifications in Special Education (Rutgers University) and Supervision (Rowan University). Katie has a decade of experience in self-contained classrooms for students with complex support needs. This experience has served to inform her current research. Katie is currently working on multiple projects in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of researchers through the NSF Future of Work Grant. In addition to her current research in Speech Generating Device design, Katie is a Data Ambassador for the State of the States Longitudinal Data Project of National Significance. 

Hannah Robinson, M.Ed, is an ASPIRE scholar who is currently a third year PhD student in the Special Education program at Temple University, under the advisement of Dr. Joseph Boyle. Hannah earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with minor focuses in; human development and family studies, child maltreatment and advocacy studies, and special education from The Pennsylvania State University. Hannah then earned her master’s degree in special education also from Penn State under the advisement of Dr. Paul Riccomini. Through her variety of student teaching and field placement experiences, Hannah developed a passion for supporting students and families who have experienced trauma. She also became interested in working with students with diverse learning needs in inclusive classroom settings. Hannah went on to work first at a charter school in north Philadelphia as a kindergarten through third grade lower school special education teacher. Before starting her graduate program at Temple, Hannah worked as a fourth grade inclusion special education teacher at a charter school in northeast Philadelphia. Her two very different teaching experiences as a special education fuels her current research interests. Hannah intends on continuing to research equitable access to effective inclusion practices for students with disabilities specifically in urban charter school environments. She would like to inform teacher preparation programs, professional development programming and administrator preparation to address systemic barriers to effective inclusive practices within schools. 

Amy Waserszstein, MA, BCBA, LBS holds a master’s degree in behavior analysis and is currently working on a PhD in special education. She has held a variety of roles in clinical and educational settings serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities for over fifteen years. Amy’s primary research interests are improving fidelity of evidence-based behavioral and teaching practices in special education. She has presented research at national conferences and has co-authored research published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. She has functioned as an ad-hoc reviewer for multiple academic journals. Amy is an active member of the Association of Behavior Analysis International and the Council for Exceptional Children.   

Latesha Watson is an accomplished educational leader and current scholar in special education. She is an ASPIRE scholar at Temple University, a fellowship funded by the Office of Special Education Programs. Latesha's academic background includes a master's in special education from Arcadia University and dual bachelor's degrees in communication science disorders and communications from the University of Pittsburgh. With over 15 years of professional experience, Latesha has held key roles in urban education, including Director of Specialized Services and Student Support Specialist for the School District of Philadelphia. Latesha’s research interests are literacy, technology, and learning sciences for culturally and linguistically diverse youth with disabilities. Her scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed articles and presentations at international conferences such as the American Educational Research Association and the Council for Exceptional Children. As a fellow in Council for Learning Disabilities Brian Bryant Leadership Academy and social media coordinator, Latesha supports the organization's mission to champion advocacy, education, and collaboration for students with disabilities. Her dedication to improving education is further reflected in her work as a coach and instructor for the Urban Teaching Apprentice Program. Her work aims to improve educational and post-school outcomes through research, teaching, technology, and educational policy.