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.