Our Team

Meet Our Lab Directors

Dr. Zara Waldman DeLuca (she/her)

I started at Southern in Fall 2019. I received my Ph.D. in speech-language-hearing sciences from the CUNY Graduate Center, my M.S. in communication disorders from MGHIHP, and my B.S. in communication disorders from Emerson College. My youngest sister is disabled, which introduced me to the field and made me a "sib" (sibling of a person with disabilities). In 2023, my research group the MERMAIDS (Memory and Eyetracking Research-Maybe Also Interlanguaging and Disability Studies) merged with the LACH Lab to work collaboratively on inclusive language sampling strategies and explore family relationships in the presence of disability, especially between siblings.
I can use ASL. If I could, I'd really want to learn other people's familects (invented words or phrases we use with our families), because they capture the silliness and joy we share with our closest family and friends.
You can follow me on Instagram @heysibsister

I have two research assistants: Zelda (a dachshund) and Penelope (an American Foxhound).
Here they are conducting their own research into sibling relationships titled "How close can you sit next to your sibling before annoying them?"

Dr. Svenja Gusewski (she/her)

I was an Assistant Professorf at Southern from Fall 2020 to Fall 2024. In 2025, I returned home to Germany to work at the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg. I received my Ph.D. and M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas, and my B.S. in Speech therapy from the Universidad de Valencia (Spain). I love collaborating with students in the lab because their energy is inspiring. I also firmly believe in the power of mentorship, especially for underrepresented students (I was a 1st gen. and immigrant student myself).I am fluent in German and Spanish, but if I could speak any language in the world, it would be Hebrew, because the letters look beautiful yet very challenging.

I have 3 teaching/research assistants: Pauli (reading with me), Archie (in the background), and Samson (not pictured).
Update: Added a picture with Samson, per his request.

Meet Our Lab Members

Keriany Otero Garcia (she/her)

I am a second-year graduate student here at Southern pursuing my M.S. in CMD. At SCSU, I obtained my B.S. in CMD with a minor in Medical Spanish. My interests are multilingual learners, early intervention, and bilingual language acquisition. My current research is on speech disfluenices of typical developing bilingual children. I enjoy working at the LACH lab because our cabinets are always full of Ritz bits! So come join us; we always have snacks for everyone! I am fluent in English and Spanish, but if I could speak any other language, it would either be ASL or Portuguese.

Eunice Kim (she/her)

I’m a first year SLP graduate student and Southern Alum with a a B.S. in Communication Disorders and a minor in Linguistics. My academic areas of interest include early intervention, literacy, language acquisition, and bilingualism, essentially all things language. I am fluent in English and Korean however if I could speak any other language, it would be Spanish and ASL. I know a little bit of both but I would love to be fluent. My current research will aim to explore the impact of diverse children’s materials (toys, books, etc.) and the quality of language samples.

Xinyi Gao (Cindy) (she/her)

I’m earning my second bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders. Before I came to Southern, I earned my previous Bachelor’s in Visual Media Arts and minored in Psychology at Emerson College. My special interests related to Communication Disorders are multilingual development and adjustment in a monolingual society. I love the LACH Lab because it is an environment for understanding and cooperation. I’m fluent in Mandarin and English. Also, I speak some Cantonese, Korean, and Japanese.

Valeria S. Sotomayor (she/her)

I am a first-year graduate student with a B.S. in Communication Disorders from SCSU. I have specials interests in bilingualism, early childhood intervention, language and literacy. But I am very open to gaining different experiences and look forward to further exploring this career path and where it takes me. I am passionate about advocating for families and patients who speak multiple languages. I am fluent in Spanish, English and in the midst of learning Portuguese. I love that the LACH Lab is resided in a sort of secret hidden corner, at least that’s what it feels like since it took me a while to find it. I'm glad this lab lets us dive more into bilingual literacy and helps further push research for these individuals. If I could speak any other language, it would be either German or Korean because I think they have very interesting cultures!

Riley Pettit(she/her)I am a first year graduate student here at Southern pursuing my M.S. in Communication Disorders. I received my Bachelors degree at the University of Delaware in 2023, majoring in Cognitive Science with minors in Human Development and Family Services as well as Disability Studies. I am really enjoying my first semester in clinic and gaining experience in the field! I'm excited to learn more, particularly regarding hearing loss in young children and early intervention. I know some ASL, but it is definitely a goal of mine become fluent!

Julianna A. Buehler (she/her)

I am in my undergrad pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication disorders at Southern Connecticut State University with minors in Spanish and Psychology. My goal is to become a bilingual SLP. I have a background in ABA therapy, emergency medical technician experience, and I work as a paraprofessional. These experiences have opened up my eyes to all the potential fields of work for SLP's. It makes me excited to explore more about the field and get to know where my passions fit best. My special interests regarding communication disorders are bilingualism, traumatic brain injuries, strokes, autism spectrum disorder, and stuttering. I love the core values the LACH lab stands for and its research on bilingual literacy has strengthened my interest in working with bilingual individuals. If I could speak any language in the world, it would be Greek because I hope to one day be fluent so I can communicate better with my family there. It is a goal of mine to become fluent in Greek and Spanish.

Kaitlyn Gerckens (she/her)

I am currently a senior in the Communication Disorders B.S. program at SCSU with a minor in Spanish, and I aspire to become a Speech Language Pathologist! As I explored different majors during my first year at SCSU, I discovered a passion for studying speech and language development. What continues to fascinate me is that this profession is both a science and an art. I'm enthusiastic about the opportunity to make a lasting impact on my community as a speech-language pathologist, particularly in a pediatric setting. This semester is my first time working in the LACH Lab, and so far, it has motivated me to delve deeper into the research of bilingual language literacy. Ideally, I would love to be fluent in every language. However, at the top of my list would be Spanish, American Sign Language (ASL), and Arabic.

Claire Foley (she/her)I am currently an undergraduate senior in the CMD program and will be transitioning to the graduate program here at SCSU this fall to continue on my path of becoming a future Speech-Language Pathologist! My areas of interest include autism spectrum disorder, traumatic brain injury, diversity inclusion in our able-bodied world, multicultural dialects/language, and basically all things speech and language! I am brand new to the LACH-MERMAID Lab, but I am so excited to work alongside my like-minded and motivated CMD peers and assist in the current and future research in the lab. If I could learn any language in the world I would love to learn ASL, as well as continuing to learn Spanish!

Luisa Angelo (she/her)Coming Soon!

Stephanie Custodia (she/her)

I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders with an anticipated graduation date of Spring 2024. I am interested in becoming a medical SLP in the future. I am new to the LACH lab however I am excited to be working alongside like-minded peers and to assist in the lab’s ongoing research. If I could speak any language in the world, I would pick Turkish. I have always found the language and the culture to be very beautiful. There are also a million other languages I’d love the learn, including ASL and French and Italian as well as perfecting my Spanish! It is not very good right now but I know it will get better with time. Overall, I am very excited that I have this opportunity to participate in the lab.

Kristin M. Zack (she/her)

I am currently a senior undergraduate and I am majoring in Communication Disorders. After graduation, I plan to go to graduate school to receive my masters in Speech-Language Pathology. Undergrad has been very interesting and I love learning new information about the field. I want to work with kids in my future whether that be in the medical field or a school setting. This is my first semester in the LACH Lab but I am looking forward to working with everyone. If I can speak any language in the world it would Spanish or Italian!

Jillian A. Gray (she/her)

I am currently a senior undergraduate student majoring in Communication Disorders and minoring in Business Administration. I am very interested in the medical side of Communication Disorders, and I am eager to continue learning to grow and expand my knowledge so I can be the best clinician for future patients. This will be my first semester volunteering in the LACH Lab, so I am very excited to work amongst my professors and peers to help with the ongoing research. If I could speak any language in the world, I would definitely want to speak Italian because half of my family speaks the language, and I would love to be able to talk with them.

Meet Our Alumni

Danielle F. Ott (she/her)

I’m a second-year graduate student in the program here at Southern with a B.S. in communication disorders also from SCSU. I’ve been researching dual language assessment for the past 4 years and have been enjoying the opportunity to learn about this emerging area of our field. I love being a part of the LACH lab because it’s a great space to collaborate with other students! If I could speak any language in the world, I would choose Danish and ASL.

Harrison S. Clark (he/him)

I am a senior communications disorders undergraduate student with a current B.A. in education from Arizona State University. Bilingual language has grown to be a topic of interest of mine, but my true interests are in the psychology of learning, especially regarding language acquisition. My work in the LACH lab has included research on diversity, equity and inclusion within children’s literature and I am proud to say it was able to take me and a fellow lab member to the 2022 ASHA convention! If I could know any language in the world, I would have to choose Swedish.

Zane M. Carey (he/him)

I’m in my final year pursuing a Bachelor of Science in CMD with a Minor in Medical Spanish. I have prior degrees from UConn and taught Early Childhood Education for a few years before returning to school. I am interested in pursuing Audiology, specifically related to Multilingual language phonetics, processing and perception. I love being a part of the LACH lab because of moments like we argue over the exact translation of a word. I speak Spanish, some Hebrew, and some ASL, but other than those languages, I dream of one day learning Hungarian- it's a genderless language!

Meet Our Collaborators

Dr. Farzan Irani (he/him)

Texas State University
Farzan Irani, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Professor, Department of Communication Disorders, Texas State University. Dr. Irani’s research focuses on childhood-onset stuttering, specifically on therapy outcomes, cortical dynamics, and the development of fluency and stuttering in children who are multilingual.

Dr. Raúl Rojas (él/he/him)

University of Kansas
Raúl Rojas, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Professor, Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences & Disorders, University of Kansas. Dr. Rojas’ research focuses on child language from a longitudinal and processing perspective, specifically dual language development in typically developing children and in children with language impairments. He has provided bilingual (Spanish-English) speech-language pathology services in multiple settings, including schools and early intervention.

Natalia Camacho (she/her)

University of Texas at Dallas
Natalia Camacho, B.S., Doctoral Student, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing, University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests are bilingual language acquisition and language disorders in Spanish-English speaking children. She aims to improve assessment methods and services in this population.

Jane Puhlman (she/her)

University of Maine

Jane Puhlman, PhD, CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Maine (Orono).

Dr. Puhlman’s research focus on the language and literacy development of children who are Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Recently, she is interested in using narratives (story generation and story retell) to investigate their development and identify gaps in language learning. Dr. Puhlman is also interested in early intervention supports for DHH children. She is looking to identify supporting resources within the unique Early Intervention system in Maine for DHH children (ELCO) and how these variables empower families.

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