Staff & Students

Who We Are
Current StudentsFormer Students
Our Current Students

Undergraduate Volunteers

Kylie Reisz

Kylie Reisz

Third-Year Undergraduate Volunteer

Campus Involvement: On campus, I serve in a variety of roles.  I am a Resident’s Assistant, Service Chair for HHD Honor Society, President of NBASLH, an Instagram CSD Ambassador, member of NSSLHA, Sign Language Organization, Navigators, and THON as I have volunteered as a Dancer Relations committee member for the past 2 years!

 

Why CSD?: What made me interested in Communication Sciences and Disorders is the idea of providing methods of communication to those who are unable to form it on their own.  I view communication as the foundation of life, so it excites me that I am able to help give people a voice in this profession, whether it be in a school, hospital or private practice setting (there are various opportunities!). 

Abigail Borgacci

Abigail Borgacci

Fourth-Year Undergraduate Volunteer

Campus Involvement: THON, NSSHLA, Health and Human Development Honor Society, Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority

Why CSD?: I was at a crossroads when picking a major I could not decide whether I wanted to be a teacher or something in the medical field and then someone suggested CSD to me. I realized it was the perfect fit for me and I have been so happy with my choice ever since!

 

Shauna Miller

Shauna Miller

Fourth-Year Undergraduate Volunteer

Campus Involvement: NSSLHA, BRIDGE (Building Resources to Increase Diversity in Graduate Education), THON

Why CSD?: What made me interested in CSD: I became interested in CSD as I learned more about all of the different avenues you can explore as an SLP and as I became more aware of the impact that SLPs have on the lives of the people they help.

Krystyn Fajardo

Krystyn Fajardo

Fourth-Year Undergraduate Student

Campus Involvement: NBASLH, Context and Development Lab, SASE – Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, PSFA – Penn State Filipino Association
Why CSD?: CSD is a combination of my interests in language, culture, and working with various types of people in a healthcare setting.
Brianna Cadavero

Brianna Cadavero

Fourth-Year Undergraduate Student

Campus Involvement: PIRE Program, Spanish Club, Health and Human Development Honors Society, Delta Phi Epsilon, LifeLink Apartment, NSSLHA 

Why CSD?: I have always been fascinated in language and language acquisition since language classes began being offered at my public school, so I always knew I wanted to do something with language. Then my advisor recommended a CSD general education course my sophmore year and I was hooked. After shadowing opportunities and taking many CSD courses I’ve found my passion for bilingualism and exploring how the brain processes and produces language. 

Alaina Johnston

Alaina Johnston

Fourth-Year Undergraduate Student

Campus Involvement: I am Captain of the Penn State Lionette’s Dance team, Worklink Mentor, THON committee member the past 3 years.

Why CSD?: I came into Penn State pursing Education. While I have always had a passion for teaching, it wasn’t until I took one CSD course as an elective for me to unlock my passion for speech! I love that CSD brings teaching and a medical side of things together. 

 

Graduate Students

Nicoletta Bonacci

Nicoletta Bonacci

Second-Year Master's Student

Campus Involvement: Graduate Teaching assistant for two undergraduate courses: ‘Women’s Health Issues’ and  ‘Research Applications in Biobehavioral Health,’ THON, & NSSLHA

Why CSD?: I became interested in CSD because of its potential to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives at all stages and in various settings. This, coupled with my deep fascination for language and the brain, made it a perfect fit for me.

Ainsley Arrington

Ainsley Arrington

First-Year Master's Student

Why CSD?: I’ve always loved working with kids, and I love being able to work with clients one-on-one to form closer relationships and to help them reach their goals!

Rachel Trotti

Rachel Trotti

First-Year Master's Student

Why CSD?: I chose CSD because I have seen firsthand how speech-language pathologists can change lives! Another reason I chose CSD is that there are opportunities to work in many different environments which gives SLP’s many opportunities.

Gabriella Swope

Gabriella Swope

First-Year Master's Student

Why CSD?: I always wanted a career where I could make an impact and you do exactly that as a Speech Language Pathologist by giving people their voice! 

Meghan McDonough

Meghan McDonough

First-Year Master's Student

Why CSD?: I chose CSD because I have always wanted to work in a school, and I have had a fascination with communication my entire life. I love that there are so many different work environments, topics, and populations that I could potentially work with. Lastly, I love that the learning will never end and that I will be able to serve individuals to help them communicate more effectively.  

Sophia Benson

Sophia Benson

Second-Year Master's Student

Extracurriculars?: National NSSLHA, Teaching Assistant for undergraduate Clinical Phonetics, Club Pickleball, State College Young Professionals

Why CSD?: I’ve always been inspired by my mom who is an SLP,  but I never wanted to work in Special Education like she did. When she told me that there was a medical side to Speech-Language Pathology where I could work in ICU’s , rehabilitation hospitals, and outpatient clinics, I knew that’s what I wanted to do!

 

Get In Touch

Location: Ford Building Room #103, University Park, PA 16802

Telephone: (814) 863-2021

Email: oppal@psu.edu

Lab Hours: M-F: 8am – 5pm |or by appointment|