Current Students

 James Harvey

James majors in Hearing & Speech Science while minoring in Philosophy. His research interests are primarily in child language development, the social use of language, and improved implementation of new technology to assist research techniques. James has been on the executive board of CLISO and NSSLHA, was an original member of REACH and the HESP-GPS Ghana study abroad program, and has participated as a member of the departmental Honors program and the MLSC Planet Word Summer course. James is looking to work as a lab manager and pursue a PhD upon graduating. He hopes that REACH will provide further professional development and provide a clearer picture of what a career in research and academia looks like.

Veronica Kandro

Veronica is a rising senior majoring in neuroscience focusing on cellular and molecular neuroscience. Her research interests include the subfields of music cognition, investigating multimodal processing of music and audio imagery. Through REACH and the Language & Music Cognition Lab, Veronica has learned to use EEG technology, write python code, and run participants through various cognitive tasks. With REACH, she will continue work on two independent projects in the field of music cognition while developing her thesis. Additionally, she is a teaching assistant for chemistry courses and is on the UMD Dance Team. In the future, Veronica would like to marry her passions of teaching and research to apply them clinically. She hopes to pursue doctoral degrees in either cognitive and/or medical sciences.

Denilson Mejía-Rivera

Denilson is a rising senior pursuing a double degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences & Information Science. Born in Washington, D.C., and currently residing in Hyattsville, MD, Denilson comes from a proud Salvadoran family, which has deeply influenced his academic and personal journey. His research currently focuses on bilingualism in children, driven by his passion for understanding and supporting diverse linguistic communities. He plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, aiming to work with a diverse population of clients, primarily bi- and multilingual/dialectal children.

Abria Simmons

Abria is a Senior majoring in Psychology & minoring in Human Development. She is an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the LEAD lab led by Dr. Rachel Romeo. Abria’s specific research interests are in exploring how anti-bias and antiracism approaches can positively affect children’s development over time. She is also interested in creating a safe space for African American clients with mental health issues. She intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology to eventually get licensed to practice therapy. Abria is also the lab's Hair Equity Specialist, with a current research project discovering the best practices for using fNIRS (Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy) technology with African American participants due to the lack of inclusion within neuroimaging research of this particular sample.

Saintania Myrtil

Saintania is a junior psychology major and human development minor.  She is especially interested in how early interactions affect cognitive and social development. She aspires to be a psychiatric physician assistant for children and teens of underserved communities and spread awareness about mental health to minority populations. 

Dana Walker

 Dana majors in Hearing and Speech Science Her research interests include early speech and language development in bilingual children. One of her many interests in the UMD REACH program is that she is, “surrounded by a diverse group of peers within and has the opportunity to research and work with the faculty at the University of Maryland.”  Dana is interested in cultural competency and how it shapes services provided to families in speech therapy. In a recent research project, Dana has worked on collecting and entering data for research on the executive function skills of children in bilingual schools. She hopes to gain experience while learning more about cultural competency and build on this concept through her research with bilingual children. She hopes that the interactions between herself and the faculty will equip her with the research tools needed to attain a Master’s in Hearing and Speech Sciences. 

Dana will be mentored by Dr. Ana Taboada Barber in the READ LAB while also participating in professional development with peers in REACH led by Dr. Matthew Joseph Goupell. 

Cynthia Amaghi

Cynthia is a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience She is a Design Cultures and Creativity Honors College member. She serves on the Executive Board of the Charles R. Drew Pre-Health Society, where her organizational skills and goal-oriented mindset are significant assets in ensuring a successful year for the board and its outreach efforts. Cynthia plans to attend medical school to specialize in Neurosurgery. Cynthia aims to gain advanced research skills and insights that will support her future academic and professional endeavors while in REACH. Dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the healthcare field, Cynthia is committed to supporting underrepresented students in pursuing their goals. With her combination of skills, experiences, and dedication, she seeks a future in medical research and neurosurgery.

Afia Obeng

Afia is a Public Health science major with a double minor in Black Women studies and Humanities, Health, and Medicine. Her research interest is health disparities in black maternal care and maternal morbidity/mortality rates. One of her many interests in UMD-REACH is its focus on diverse research on different populations tackling important and under-represented communities. She hopes this type of research could be her way of playing a role in combating health disparities while forming relationships with like-minded faculty and peers. Working as a patient care technician, she has seen how these disparities affect patients and families and create distrust in healthcare. Being on the forefront of this research could allow her to make a small change the best way she can. Afia hopes to obtain a masters in Physician Assistant Studies and work in the forefront of medicine.

Ama Wooten

Ama is a Junior Hearing and Speech Sciences major working in the Aphasia Lab. Ama is mentored by Dr. Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah. Her research interests include Aphasia and voicing. Passionate about breaking down barriers to accessing trans voice, Ama also does work with Scinguistics, an online voice-science enthusiast space that provides free gender-affirming voice services. She also releases educational content on her YouTube channel, AmaRoseLessons. Ama hopes to go to graduate school to become a Speech-Language Pathologist.

Diana Reyes-Ramirez

Diana is a rising senior. She is a Hearing and Speech Sciences major and is minoring in human development. Her area of interest is bilingual language development. In the REACH program, she will be working in Dr.Newman’s language development lab. She hopes to gain knowledge and experience in working with children and their families as well as learn about language development in bilingual and monolingual children. Her future goal is to pursue a master’s in Speech-Language Pathology in order to provide therapy services to bilingual children.

Erica Wu

Erica is a rising junior. She is a Psychology major and will be mentored by Dr. Jared Novick, associate professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. Her specific interests are developmental, clinical, and cognitive psychology. In particular, she would like to learn more about the psychological approach to Autism. Additionally, she is interested in the study of memory distortion. She is also a part of the Science and Global Change Scholars program, where she recently completed her practicum and academic showcase on the gaps in therapy for underprivileged children. In the future, she plans to pursue a Master’s & Ph.D. in child psychology.

Isabella Cropper

Isabella is a rising Junior. She is a Hearing and Speech Major, with an Italian minor. Through the The Every Child Project at UMD, she has been tutoring children in her free time. Isabella is from Severna Park, Maryland. Ultimately, she intends to get her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology and then hopes to do clinical work with children in a school or a hospital setting. Currently, she is interested in researching Bilingual language acquisition and developmental language delay.

Janasia Thomas

Janasia is a sophomore at UMD majoring in Neuroscience. She is from Waldorf, Maryland. Janasia is currently a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Charles R. Drew Pre-Health Society, and serves as a coordinator for Terps for Change. In the future, she plans to pursue a MD/PHD program. After completion of a MD/PHD program, she plans on entering neurosurgery while also continuing research. Her research interests include the relation between brain structure and developmental disorders, communication disorders, and mental health disorders. She is mentored by Dr. Nikolas Francis.

Kevin Bill Eguida

Kevin is a rising senior. He is majoring in Computer Engineering with a special focus on computer sciences. Kevin grew up and obtained his High School diploma while living in Africa. He grew up in countries like Rwanda, Tunisia, or Senegal which contributed in shaping his culturally rich background. During his first two years in Maryland, he obtained an Associate’s degree in General Sciences from Montgomery College, and he is now pursuing a Bachelor’s degree with the intent of obtaining his master’s degree. He plans to expand his knowledge and polish his skills by exploring the field of research thanks to UMD-REACH.

Madisen Bonner

Madisen is a junior Biology major on the pre-med track. She is from Baltimore, Maryland and is a part of the University of Maryland Honors College. Her field of interest is anesthesiology and helping those in underrepresented communities. In the future, she plans on attending medical school to obtain her doctorate degree. Madisen will work closely with Dr.Hoover in his research lab to closely identify people’s values and how these values contribute to their want for hearing aids.

Makayla Dizon

Makayla Dizon is a senior Hearing and Speech Science major with a minor in Human Development. She has recently participated in the university’s LEAP Program. Through this, she was able to get first-hand experience with specialized speech therapy for children with developmental language delays. Makayla plans on attending graduate school in hopes of receiving a masters degree in Speech-language Pathology. Her research interests pertain to the early speech and language development of children. Additionally, she is interested in the perception of speech when affected by diversity differences, such as various accents of dialects.

Marah Simonis

Marah is a rising senior majoring in Hearing and Speech Science with a human development minor. Currently, Marah is interested in language development, bilingualism, and cognitive development. Marah hopes REACH will further expand her research interests and persuade her to continue research in the future. She would like to become a speech-language pathologist after pursuing her master's and sees herself working with children in the future.

Morgan Platnick

Morgan is a junior Hearing and Speech Sciences major with a Disability Studies Minor. She is from Boyds, MD and began working as an aid to children with disabilities at the age of 13, sparking a passion for teaching & working with underserved populations. This made Morgan want to learn more about how to best help people with disabilities. She realized her interest in Audiology & working with the Deaf community. She intends to pursue an Au.D & work in pediatric audiology. Morgan is a tutoring coordinator & has experience working in a lab using eye-tracking to collect research data studying comprehension of children with Developmental Language Disorder in a therapy setting. Her research interests include barriers the Deaf community faces when it comes to adequate medical care in all fields as well as how to eliminate these hurdles.

 Ndeye Fatou Sall

Fatou is a senior majoring in Neurobiology and Physiology with a minor in business. She is passionate about addressing research disparities in neuroscience. Her primary research interest includes studying the effects of different socioeconomic upbringings on cognitive development. Additionally, she aims to delve into medical disparities, such as how dermatology is predominantly geared towards white skin, and explore the various factors that cause biases in medical research and practice. In the future, Fatou plans to attend medical school and obtain an MD/PhD. Through her work, she strives to contribute to a more equitable and inclusive understanding of health and science.

Sharon Idowu

Sharon is part of the class of 2026, pursuing a double degree in Psychology and Human Development. From Baltimore Maryland by way of Lagos Nigeria, she has a strong passion for community which can be seen through her many campus activities and leadership roles. She is interested in research pertaining to the cognition and development of young children, particularly in a social and educational perspective, Currently, she works under Dr.Butler in the cognition and development lab. Post graduation, she plans to work as a school psychologist while pursuing a PhD in counseling psychology to fulfill her passion for serving underprivileged children.