Project MESA Scholars

Ximena De Los Ríos (she/her/ella) is a graduate student in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of New Mexico. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Spanish where she developed an interest in bilingualism and language acquisition. During her training, she has gained clinical and community-based experience supporting children with autism and developmental communication disorders across educational and international settings, including service delivery in Belize and volunteer work in Mexico.

Ximena’s professional interests as a speech-language pathologist-in-training include bilingual language development, multiculturalism, and culturally responsive assessment and intervention. She is especially interested in building her knowledge and clinical skills to better support culturally and linguistically diverse communities. As a native Spanish speaker, she is committed to expanding access to equitable, high-quality bilingual and multilingual services for underserved populations.

Stefani Garcia is a first-year SLP graduate student in the SHS department. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. During her undergraduate career, she held leadership roles in her local National Student Speech Language Hearing Association chapter and participated in a mentoring program focused on supporting the professional growth of students from underrepresented groups in CSD. She also gained research experience exploring speech perception in bilingual populations.

Currently, she is on the thesis track, where her work focuses on Hispanic caregivers of children with autism and their experiences with intervention, using rich and impactful qualitative research methods. She is passionate about advocacy and committed to providing families from multicultural and multilingual backgrounds with high-quality care that meets their needs.

Francisco Martin (he/him) is a graduate student in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of New Mexico and a MESA scholar. He holds an M.A. in TESOL and has extensive experience teaching English composition, public speaking, and ESL at the university level, as well as tutoring multilingual and first-generation students in community college and K–12 settings across San Francisco, California. He is especially passionate about mentoring first-generation college students and supporting them in navigating higher education. 

Francisco's professional interests as a speech-therapist-in-training center on multilingual language development, culturally responsive assessment and intervention, and supporting neurodivergent learners and their families. Francisco is particularly committed to advocating for equitable language practices and expanding access to services for multilingual communities. Outside of his professional work, he enjoys spending time with his family, exploring new places, and staying active.

Roddy is a graduate student in the M.S. Speech-Language Pathology program. She earned a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Northern Colorado, where she participated in the Ronald. E. McNair Scholars program. Here, she completed an independent research project focused on Barriers to SLP Services for Latine Caregivers of Young Children in Colorado. As a Latina, immigrant, nontraditional woman in academia, she is deeply committed to social justice and advocacy work for minoritized communities. Her research goals are to inform culturally sensitive practices and improve assessment and treatment approaches for bilinguals. Her experience working as a special education paraprofessional sparked her interest in working with neurodivergent individuals while serving diverse families.  After practicing as a clinician, Roddy hopes to earn a PhD and bridge the knowledge gap to Latin American communities outside of the U.S. It would be a gift for her to give back to her roots by fostering international collaborations.

Valentina Mora is a graduate student in the M.S. Speech-Language Pathology program at the University of New Mexico and a participant in Project MESA. Originally from Colombia, her experiences as a multilingual speaker and medical interpreter inspired her passion for working with culturally and linguistically diverse children and families. Her professional interests include pediatric speech-language therapy, bilingual language development, phonetics, and improving equitable access to services for underserved communities. During her undergraduate studies at the University of Alabama, she gained experience in clinical, educational, and community settings through interpretation, tutoring, childcare, and programs serving children with disabilities. She also participated in phonetics and bilingual aphasia research, with a particular interest in dialectal and cross-linguistic speech variation. Valentina hopes to continue advocating for multilingual families through culturally responsive clinical care, research, and community outreach.

Ana is a first-year graduate student in the MS in Speech-Language Pathology program. She earned her BS in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Born and raised in San Juan, PR, she is dedicated to improving outcomes for bilingual populations; as an aspiring SLP, she hopes to do so by addressing the current healthcare and educational disparities in her home, as well as in the Albuquerque area. During her undergraduate career, she worked as a rehabilitation aide in an inpatient Stroke/Neurology unit. She also served as an administrative assistant at her university's Speech, Language, and Hearing Center. Her time as a summer camp counselor, as well as other volunteer experiences, have sparked her passion for working with children of many ages, and she is dedicated to providing quality services for this population during graduate school and beyond.

Ana is committed to providing services that align with the diverse cultural backgrounds of her patients, as well as the specific challenges they face in communication. Furthermore, she hopes to give back to her community by increasing access to resources that allow SLPs to provide culturally responsive care for neurodiverse individuals, fostering equal opportunities for all providers and clients. Her goal is to ensure that all patients and their families, especially those from underserved communities, have the tools to advocate for their needs.