Lab People

Erika S. Levy, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is Director of the Speech Production and Perception Lab and Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is also Associate Editor of the Journal of Phonetics. Raised in Prague and Vienna, Dr. Levy received a B.A. in Psychology from Wesleyan University, an M.A. in Linguistics from New York University, an M.A. in Speech and Language Pathology from Lehman College, and a Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York. She has published in the areas of treatment efficacy for the motor speech disorder of dysarthria, cross-language speech perception, and the bilingual lexicon. Her current research interests include treatment efficacy for intelligibility in children with dysarthria due to cerebral palsy and in Spanish-, Mandarin-, and American-English-speaking adults with dysarthria due to Parkinson's Disease. In addition, her lab examines native Spanish speakers' perception and production of American English vowels. Dr. Levy is a trilingual speech-language pathologist and worked as pronunciation coach for Big Bird and Elmo of Sesame Street.

Kyung Hae Hwang received a M.A. in Applied Linguistics and an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has worked as a bilingual SLP with various populations in different settings in New York and New Jersey. While building clinical experience as a bilingual SLP, she sought to expand her research experience and joined Professor Levy’s lab in the doctoral program in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College. Her research interests are cross-linguistic speech perception and production, speech treatment for individuals with cerebral palsy and other neuromotor disorders, and speech and language development and treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

I have taught Korean language courses at Queens College, City University of New York since 2016 and Linguistics-related undergraduate courses at Lehman College, City University of New York since 2017.  Currently, I am a doctoral student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College, Columbia University. My research interests include Speech Perception and Production, Spoken Language Processing, Treatments and Assessments in Speech Intelligibility, Bilingualism, and Second Language Acquisition.

Magdaline Kotsakis is a Master’s student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is from Queens, New York, and is a bilingual speaker of English and Greek. She graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. in Creative Writing and Theatre. Pursuing her love of traveling, Magdaline moved to Cusco, Peru. She lived there for a year working as an English teacher. After her time abroad, Magdaline returned to the U.S. and completed a post-baccalaureate in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Queens College. Magdaline previously volunteered as a research assistant at the Child Language Lab at the CUNY Graduate Center. Magdaline enjoys traveling, swimming, reading, and hiking.  

Julia Gonzalez is a Master’s student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Julia moved to Manhattan from her hometown in Floral Park, Long Island. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology and minors in Psychology and Spanish. Julia previously served as an undergraduate research assistant in the Language and Brain Plasticity Lab, earning two meritorious poster submission awards from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association at the 2019 and 2020 Conventions. In her first year at Teachers College, Julia was a research assistant in the Aphasia Rehabilitation and Bilingualism Lab, and she is beyond excited to continue her research journey in the Speech Production and Perception Lab and support children with cerebral palsy. She is passionate about bridging the gap between her research and clinical practice as a speech-language professional. Julia’s clinical interests include pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, neurogenic communication disorders, and autism spectrum disorder.

Emma graduated from Brandeis University, having studied Art History and French. After graduating, Emma worked in non-profit fundraising and then as an elementary school classroom assistant prior to beginning her M.S. In Communication Sciences & Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. Emma’s research interests included speech intelligibility and play-based therapy. Emma is so grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Speech Production and Perception Lab and work with such an amazing team! In her free time, Emma enjoys knitting, trying new food with friends, and playing with her pet cat. 

Rachel Polkowitz graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. Rachel loves contributing to research in the field of speech-language pathology. She became involved in research at the University of Arizona where she was a part of two research projects, and she is thrilled to continue her involvement in research as a member of the Speech Production and Perception Lab. In her free time, Rachel enjoys watching basketball and spending quality time with her friends and family.

Allie graduated summa cum laude from the Pennsylvania State University, having studied Communication Sciences and Disorders and Global Health. During undergraduate studies, she wrote an honors thesis on the benefits of recreational therapy for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in low resource communities, which she presented at the 2019 ASHA Convention. She then went on to pursue her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she became a graduate research assistant in the Speech Production and Perception Lab. Allie loves being a part of this lab, where she has formed wonderful connections with other students and her lab supervisor while working on important research for children with Cerebral Palsy. Allie's research interests include speech intelligibility, specifically in relation to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In her free time, Allie enjoys volunteering, cheering on her alma mater's football team, and playing with her labrador retriever puppy named Summer.

Nicole holds a BA in English from Davidson College, where she received a Dean Rusk travel grant to volunteer at a school in Eguafo, Ghana, and completed a semester in Barcelona. Before finding her way to TC, she taught English in Ono, Japan through the JET Program and worked in nonprofit development in Washington, D.C. Her experiences with multicultural students and passion for advocacy, access to communication, and language led her to pursue her M.S. in Communication Sciences & Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a proud member of Dr. Levy’s Speech Production and Perception Lab, which fosters a wonderful sense of community around exciting treatment research for children with cerebral palsy and adults with Parkinson’s disease. Nicole’s current clinical interests include dysarthria, cleft palate speech habilitation, and neurogenic communication disorders. She is a registered yoga instructor, an illustrator for Dr. Crowley’s LEADERSproject therapy materials, and enjoys creative writing, art, and being active outdoors.

Heidi received her B.A in Mathematical Economics from Colorado College before completing her post-baccalaureate at California State University, Los Angeles, during which she presented a poster on the use of bilingual assessments at the 2019 CSHA convention. She then went on to pursue her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she participated in treatment research for children with Cerebral Palsy at the Speech Production and Perception Lab. She is a Korean-English bilingual speaker and enjoys tending to her many houseplants, playing games, and reading and writing short stories in her free time.

Rachael graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, having majored in Communication Sciences and Disorders. At UW, she earned a Specialist in Gerontology Certificate and has a deep appreciation and passion for working with the geriatric population. Her clinical and research interests are in dysarthria and dysphagia, motivated by her 2 wonderful grandfathers who both have Parkinson’s disease and associated speech and swallowing deficits. As an M.S. degree candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, Rachael is thrilled to be a part of the Speech Production and Perception Lab, as it has provided her with a sense of community early on in her graduate school experience. Rachael enjoys cooking vegetarian food, solving 1000-piece puzzles, swimming, boating, and snuggling with her Dachshund, Peanut, in her spare time!

Frankiluz Guzman graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College, City University of New York with an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and Speech-Language Pathology. She is fluent in Spanish and conversational in German. She co-organized the 2013 Doctoral Program in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences 3rd Students Research Conference at The Graduate Center, CUNY and presented one of her group research projects ("Selective Attention and Short-Term Memory in Bilingual and Monolingual Adults") at their 2014 conference. While she was offered admission to the CUNY Graduate Center's Doctoral program in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences with a fellowship, her interests in communication disorders and underserved populations led her to pursue the MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University to first become a bilingual speech-language pathologist. She hopes to pursue her PhD in the future. Before TC, she was a research assistant for Dr. Isabelle Barrire at Yeled V'Yalda Early Childhood Center focusing on bilingual toddlers' early receptive grammatical development. She loves animals, playing guitar, drawing, and crafts.

Joséphine Ancelle is a French native who moved to New York City to pursue a career as a singer songwriter. During her performing years, she became aware of the devastating effects of communication difficulties while working and performing for a non-profit organization that sends musicians to hospitals. She thus decided to pursue a BA in Speech Language Pathology with a minor in Language Sciences at Marymount Manhattan College and graduated as class valedictorian. Joséphine’s research interests include bilingual language acquisition, the use of music as a tool for speech and language treatment, and language processing. Joséphine is thrilled to join the Speech Production & Perception Lab while she pursues her MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Rebecca Kellogg graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University with degrees in Linguistics and Classical Studies. Her translation efforts earned her an Outstanding Student Work award from the American Philological Society, as well as the David S. Wiesen Memorial Prize for Excellence in Classical Studies from Brandeis University. Rebecca's prior research has centered around Italian and Japanese syntax, as well as heritage language attrition in native Russian speakers.

Sarah Eldib graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.A. in Speech-Language Pathology. Her interests in the Arabic language, bilingualism, children and communication disorders led her to Teachers College, Columbia University, where she is currently a non-degree student and a research assistant in the Speech Production and Perception Lab. Sarah is passionate about making a difference in the lives of children who have special needs. She is especially passionate about working with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorders and has spent most of her time since graduation working, volunteering and reading about Autism. Sarah hopes to one day combine her fluency in the Arabic language, her passion for working with children who have Autism and her knowledge in communication disorders by working with speech-language pathologists in Egypt. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, strength training, hiking and traveling.

Hind Ibrahim graduated summa cum laude from Pace University with a BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders. During her time at Pace University, Hind had the opportunity to work with multicultural children at a Head Start Preschool program as well as with bilingual children with disabilities while interning with the Chinese Christian Herald Crusade's Autism Ministry. These experiences led her to develop a passion for multilingualism and communication disorders, leading her to the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition, Hind recently presented her senior thesis, "Music-Induced Hearing Loss: What Do College Students Know?", at the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and conducts newborn hearing screenings at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. She hates tomatoes with a fierce passion but loves cats, spending time with her family and friends, a good cup of coffee, and watching How I Met Your Mother and Psych on Netflix.

Kira Harbourne graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a degree in Mathematics and a certificate in American Sign Language Studies. Previously, she spent many years working with children with developmental disabilities. After volunteering at Sarah Berger’s Child Development Lab at CUNY SI Kira decided to become a speech-language pathologist and enrolled in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College. When not doing classwork Kira enjoys cooking, eating, and playing games.

Ndidi Egeonuigwe graduated from the University of California, Davis with an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Communication. She is conversational in Spanish and speaks some Igbo. Her interest in communication disorders, international populations, and a multiethnic approach to learning led her to pursue an MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. She hopes to become a bilingual speech-language pathologist and pursue a PhD in the future. Previously, she worked as an Response to Intervention (RTI) aide with elementary children. Ndidi loves West African dancing, biking, and watching sports.

Sih-Chiao Hsu received a master's degree in International Business from London Metropolitan University, and a second master's degree in Phonetics from University College London. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders under Dr. Erika Levy's mentorship at Teachers College. Her research interests include acquisition and production of Mandarin tone in Mandarin-speaking children with cerebral palsy. As a member of the Speech Production and Perception Lab, she is involved in a study of clear and conversational vowel perception with the other lab members. She loves traveling, reading and cooking, and catching up with family and friends in her free time.

Gemma graduated 1st class with Honors from the University of Barcelona in English Literature and Linguistics. She holds an MA in Applied Linguistics. Her MA thesis was about Cross-Linguistic Speech Perception. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her field of interest is cross-linguistic speech perception, with a special focus on vowel perception by Spanish and Catalan learners of English. She loves learning languages (she speaks German and Mandarin Chinese), traveling and good coffee!!!

Wenli Chen graduated with 1st class honors from McGill University in Psychology and a minor in Management. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders here at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her honors theses were about Speech Production and Perception, and the neural mechanisms of writing. Before she came to TC, she worked with individuals with aphasia and dysphagia at a local hospital in Taiwan. Wenli speaks Mandarin, English, and Japanese. Outside of school, Wenli enjoys doing yoga, eating, traveling, photography, and learning new languages.

Kenay Sudler graduated from The College of William and Mary with a BS in Psychology and a BA in Linguistics. She received a Dintersmith Honors Fellowship in her senior year to conduct an honors thesis concerning issues speech-language pathologists with accents face in the profession and received high honors for this work. Kenay speaks English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and Japanese. Her primary interest is to serve populations with communication, feeding, and swallowing disorders, related to organic and neurological conditions. She also has a strong passion for multiculturalism and professional issues in the field of speech-language pathology both domestically and abroad.

Yana Pleshivoy was born in the former Russian Republic of Georgia. She graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a B.A. in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and Russian. Yana spent a year abroad, researching and working in orphanages and an Early Intervention institute, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Yana would like to continue her research in the Speech Production and Perception Lab. She is currently in the Teachers College Speech and Language Patholgoy program and is part of the bilingual emphasis track because she would like to work with immigrant and adopted children in the future. In her spare time, Yana likes to play tennis, Salsa dance, and learn new languages.

Emily Sweet was born and raised in New Jersey. She received her B.A. from Rutgers University , where she cultivated a love of languages, studying English, Spanish and Japanese. After college, she worked as an editor for Berlitz Publishing, creating language programs, books and dictionaries. This work helped her to discover her true calling, to work with children with communication disorders, and she returned to school at Teachers College to pursue her masters in Speech Language Pathology. Emily loves to travel, and has recently visited Turkey, Israel, Spain and Bolivia. She also enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and water skiing.

Mila Rotenberg is originally from Minsk, Belarus. She immigrated to the United States with her family in 1994 in pursue of a better education and more opportunities. She graduated from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development at with a BS, summa cum laude, in Speech-Language Pathology. She is currently at Teachers College, Columbia University, pursuing a Master's of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. Her clinical experience includes placements at District 75 at New York City Department of Education, for Children, Bank Street College School for Children, Edward D. Mysak Speech and Hearing Center, as well as Mount Sinai Medical Center. Her interests include multilingualism, aphasia, dementia, and right-hemisphere involvement in language.

Twylah Campbell is a Master's degree candidate in the Speech-Language Pathology program here at Teachers College, Columbia University. She completed her undergraduate studies at Bernard M. Baruch College, CUNY; where she obtained a B.A. in English Literature. Driven by the desire to contribute to the lives of others, in much the same way a number of dedicated teachers have impacted her own life over the years, Twylah feels she has truly found her calling. A majority of her time is spent completing course requirements and working as a Research Assistant in the Speech Production and Perception laboratory. As far as down time is concerned, for her that pretty much equals 'family and friends' time.

Rebecca Kastl graduated cum laude from Smith College. She subsequently taught English in the Czech Republic for a year. Her interest in language and linguistics brought her to Teachers College to study Communication Sciences and Disorders. She speaks French, Russian, and Czech, and is presently learning Spanish. She is lab manager of the Speech Production and Perception Lab and has been involved in research with a trilingual aphasic. Outside of school, Rebecca enjoys playing piano, knitting, and staying active with yoga, running, and biking. She is originally from New Orleans, LA.

Georgia Duan holds a BA in Music and Italian with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University and a MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She speaks Spanish, Italian and German, after having lived abroad in Europe for several years. Her interests in multilingualism and communication disorders led her to the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College, where she is a Master's candidate pursuing the bilingual extension. Previously, she worked as a classical singer and arts management consultant. Georgia looks forward to applying her performance background in the arts in her lab and field work as a speech-language pathologist.

Ana de la Iglesia is a master's student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Ana completed a Bachelor's degree in psychology at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. She has lived half of her life in Madrid, and the other half in Miami, and now New York. Ana studied abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand where she took classes and volunteered in two centers for cognitively disabled children. She spends her free time volunteering for the ASPCA, watching movies, napping, crocheting, and traveling.

Dorothy Leone graduated with her BA in Speech-Language Pathology and then went on to pursue her MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College. Dorothy currently works as a speech and language pathologist for the NYC Department of Education, working for an elementary in the Bronx . Dorothy is a doctoral student at Teachers College, working towards a PhD in Speech-Language Pathology under Dr. Erika Levy's mentorship. Dorothy's research interests include the perception of accented and clear speech by children with autism spectrum disorders.

Elanna Seid graduated summa cum laude from New York University with a BS in Communicative Sciences and Disorders and a minor in American Sign Language. She is currently pursuing a MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College and is the lab manager of the Speech Production and Perception Lab. During her undergraduate work she spent a semester studying abroad in Florence, Italy. Elanna speaks Spanish and recently traveled to Bolivia with the TC program to provide aural rehabilitation therapy to children who are deaf. During the summer she works as a swim instructor at a day camp for children with autism. She loves traveling, swimming, yoga, and spending time outside!

Lauren Liria graduated summa cum laude from Boston University (BU) with a B.A. in Linguistics and Spanish. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and during her undergraduate studies, spent a semester abroad in Madrid. Her love of language led her to the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College (TC), where she is currently earning her M.S degree with a bilingual extension. Before coming to TC, she served as a research assistant in the Aphasia Research Laboratory at BU, where she worked with individuals with aphasia and traumatic brain injury. During the summers, she works as an Inclusion Specialist in a summer camp servicing children ages 3-13 with and without special needs. She loves working with and learning from people of all ages, and is excited to continue to do so in the lab and beyond.

Marina Faygenbaum graduated from CUNY Brooklyn College with a focus in Speech Language Pathology, Psychology and Children's Studies. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders here at Teachers College, Columbia University. Marina spent her summer at the NY Center for Autism Charter School as well as volunteering as a Medical Clown for several local hospitals. She was involved with research at the Hebrew Academy for Special Children and held presidency positions in two of her college clubs. She is currently the lab manager at the Speech Production and Perception Lab and although she puts her studies first, she makes time for yoga, as well as movie and game nights with friends.

Jessica Lew of Scarsdale, New York graduated cum laude from Queens College, City University of New York, with an undergraduate degree in language and communication disorders. Her interest in languages, linguistics, and children brought her to Teachers College, where she is now pursing her master's in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is a research assistant at Prof. Levy's Speech-Language Perception Lab at Teachers College. Jessica speaks English, Mandarin, and French, and is currently working on her Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, dancing and competitive swimming.

Natalia M. Martinez is a Master's degree candidate in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program here at Teachers College, Columbia University. She completed her undergraduate studies at Boston College where she obtained a B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology. Natalia was chosen for a 10-week internship in speech-language pathology with Health Career Connections and continued to work for two years as a speech-language pathology assistant at a school for children with severe special needs. Currently, she spends her time studying, working as lab manager of the Speech Production and Perception Lab, as well as volunteering for other labs. Outside of school, Natalia enjoys playing her keyboard, playing with her cats, seeing live bands, and walking around the East Village.

Victoria Hatzelis graduated from McGill University in Biochemistry and Linguistics, and she is currently a master's candidate in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program. Coming from a multicultural background herself (Greek, Polish & Canadian), she is interested in multilingualism, second-language learning, accents, and different cultures. Victoria recently traveled to Ghana with a group from Teachers College, providing speech and language services in hospital and schools for children with special needs. She enjoys photography, guitar and playing squash.

Joyce Huh was born and raised in San Jose, CA. She is an M.S. candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a bilingual emphasis track in Korean. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of the Pacific in with a B.S. in Speech-Language Pathology and a double minor in Ethnic Studies and English. Joyce enjoys traveling through a backpacker's lens, and has spent a summer backpacking across Turkey, ultimately ending up in the Republic of Georgia where she worked on a farm for people with disabilities.

More recently, her interests in humanitarian work and the SLP field were bridged in Ghana, where she had the privilege of providing speech and language services to children and adults. As a research assistant in Dr. Levy's lab, Joyce's primary contributions lie in a research experiment involving a trilingual stroke patient. Her interests in research were piqued as an undergrad, where she explored the cultural and social implications of accent modification programs as a capstone to her Ethnic Studies minor. She is specifically interested in working with adolescents with developmental disabilities, who also come from multilingual backgrounds. Joyce finds her participation in the Speech Production and Perception Lab to be the indisputable highlight to her grad school experience, and has nothing but love and appreciation for Dr. Levy and the fabulous lab team.

Sarah Carmody is a Master's degree candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She was born in southern New Jersey, and graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in history and French. Prior to studying at TC, Sarah spent two years living in France. She became interested in speech-language pathology while studying phonetics at the Université de Strasbourg and teaching English to French high school students. Sarah speaks English and French fluently. She has also studied Alsatian, and learned conversational Spanish when she participated in the Bolivia Project. Sarah enjoys swimming, reading, and exploring New York City. She is happy to be a part of the exciting projects happening in the Speech Production and Perception Lab!

Diana Lopez graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. Her interest in bilingual child-language acquisition led her to volunteer at the Developmental Neurolinguistics Labat the CUNY Graduate Center during her undergraduate studies. She finds working as a research assistant at the Speech Production and Perception Lab to be a fun and exciting way to add to her knowledge base.

Amanda Cerva graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Education in Speech Sciences and Communication Disorders. While pursuing her B.Ed., she got involved in research as a research assistant, and later lab manager, at UVA's Child Language Disorders Lab. Wishing to expand her research experience while pursuing a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders here at Teachers College, Columbia University, Amanda joined the Speech Production and Perception Lab. Outside of the lab, Amanda enjoys running, cooking, watching Jeopardy, and spending time with her bulldog, Hammy.

Grace graduated Magna cum Laude from New York University, having majored in Communicative Sciences and Disorders and minored in English Literature. Her undergraduate honors thesis was about the effect of musical training on the ability to detect fine-grained acoustic details in speech. She is currently a master’s student at Teachers College, Columbia University on the bilingual track in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program. In her spare time, Grace likes watching videos of frolicking otters, painting, singing and drinking tea (often, at the same time!)

Aida Bahrami graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics. During her undergraduate years, Aida was a peer instructor at the Aresty Research Center and research assistant in the Laboratory for Developmental Language Studies. Aida is fluent in English and Farsi. Her interest in language acquisition and passion for working with children with developmental disabilities led her to pursue a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. Aida is pleased to be involved in the Speech Production and Perception Lab. Outside the lab, she enjoys baking, being outdoors and spending time with friends and family.

Aileen graduated from the Scholar's Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a Bachelor of Art in Hearing and Speech Sciences. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University, along with a bilingual extension in Korean. During her undergraduate years, she helped create a Korean BAT (Bilingual Aphasia Test) in the Aphasia Lab and wishes to expand her research experience through working in the Speech Production and Perception lab. In her free time, Aileen enjoys photography, good food and coffee, and hopes to learn more languages to serve the multilingual population!

Colette graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. While pursuing her degree, Colette worked as an assistant at the Loyola Clinical Centers and collaborated with speech pathologists at Medfield Heights Elementary School to provide speech intervention services. Colette is currently attending Teachers College, Columbia University to pursue her master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is very excited to be involved with the Speech Production and Perception Lab and admires all of the extraordinary work that is being accomplished. In her spare time, Colette enjoys running, baking, and playing with her roommate’s dog.

Y. Michelle Chang received an M.A. in Education from Harvard University, and an M.S. in Speech Language Pathology from MGH Institute of Health Professions. Michelle was a research assistant and manager in the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Boston Children’s Hospital, and she has worked extensively with individuals with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and ALS. Under the mentorship of Prof. Erika Levy, her research areas include children’s typical and atypical speech and language development, speech treatment for individuals with cerebral palsy and other motor speech disorders, and cross-linguistic/bilingual speech production and perception. She and Prof Levy supervise the speech treatment summer camp for children with cerebral palsy.

Eunseo (Eunice) Hong is a Korean native and Korean and English bilingual speaker pursuing a career in Speech-Language Pathology. She graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University - New Brunswick with a B.A. in Linguistics. Eunice was introduced to the Speech Production and Perception Lab through Dr. Levy’s SIT Camp for children with Cerebral Palsy. Her interests lie in speech and language studies involving populations with developmental disorders, language disorders, pediatric articulation therapy, and neuromotor disorders. Eunice enjoys cooking/baking, painting (watercolor), singing, and nail art.

Samantha Irace graduated summa cum laude from Adelphi University, with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. At Adelphi, Samantha was a member of the Honors College and completed a research project investigating nonword repetition in young adults with autism spectrum disorders. Her passion for working with individuals across the lifespan led her to pursue a career in Speech-Language Pathology. Samantha is grateful for the opportunity to work with the Speech Production and Perception Lab during her time as a masters student at Teachers College, Columbia University. In her free time, Samantha enjoys crafting, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. 

Karolina Callahan is English and Polish bilingual speaker pursuing her M.S. Communication Science and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. She graduated summa cum laude from Marist College with her B.A. in psychology/special education while also receiving certification in early childhood and elementary education. Karolina was introduced to the Speech Production and Perception Lab through Dr. Levy's SIT Camp for children with Cerebral Palsy. Her interests in speech and language pathology involve populations with developmental disorders, feeding therapy neuromotor disorders, and early intervention. Karolina is also a registered yoga instructor and enjoys travelling and staying active in her spare time.  

Savannah grew up in Tucson and received her B.S., magna cum laude from the University of Arizona in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences. In Tucson, her research interests included neuromodulation of tinnitus and neuroinflammation from noise-induced hearing loss. Savannah grew up training in jazz, tap, ballet, and contemporary and spent years as a dancer, instructor and choreographer before pursuing higher education. Savannah is thrilled to be contributing to the Speech Production & Perception during her time at Teachers College. She finds it particularly rewarding to be a part of the community involved in treatment research for children. Outside of the lab, Savannah enjoys thrifting for vintage treasures, searching the city for vegan sweets, playing at the ballet barre, and reading anything non-academic.