Faculty & Staff

Mr. Erazo is a graduate research associate at the Rightpath Research and Innovation Center and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Behavioral and Community Sciences. Mr. Erazo is multilingual and specializes in bilingualism and biliteracy. He earned his master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Mr. Erazo is Dr. Jason Anthony's doctoral student and served as his research assistant while employed at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He has worked on multiple grants, including SRCBM, TX-KEA, and SRCBM STEM.

Anthony, J. L., Chen, Y.-J. I., Williams, J. M., Cen, W., & Erazo, N. A. (2020). U.S. children’s
understanding of the English alphabet: Its acquisition, conceptualization, and measurement. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000534

Neumann, M. M., Anthony, J. L., Erazo, N. A., & Neumann, D. L. (2019). Assessment and technology: Mapping future directions in the early childhood classroom. Frontiers in Education, 4, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00116

Ms. Tolentino received her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Florida, just a 40-minute drive from her hometown of Chiefland, FL. She is in her final year of the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program and is completing her master’s thesis under the guidance of Dr. Trina Spencer. During her time as USF, Ms. Tolentino has learned so much from a broad span of clinical and academic opportunities offered by her graduate program. Her diverse clinical interests extend across the lifespan - anything from pediatric feeding and swallowing to neurogenic communication disorders, she enjoys it all! Upon graduating, she hopes to complete her clinical fellowship in either a school or medical setting.

Ms. Nicholas is a 4th year senior completing her Biomedical Sciences Degree in the Fall 2021. She was born in Pensacola, FL and moved to Lafayette, LA in 2009 for her father's job. After graduating from Lafayette High School in 2018, Ms. Nicholas pursued her higher education at the University of South Florida in the Biomedical Sciences Major. During her breaks throughout her college career, she would work for an elementary school and help assist with administering tests for classes. Ms. Nicholas’ plan after college is to go back and receive her technical degree in respiratory care. Her future goal is to go into research about rare respiratory diseases particularly in youth.

Ms. Prado was born and raised in a little town in Mexico called Irapuato. In 2018 she moved to the United States with the hopes of better education and career opportunities. She started her undergraduate journey as a pre-med student in Boston. However, due to unforeseen circumstances with COVID-19, Ms. Prado moved to Florida in 2020. Currently, she a rising senior at USF majoring in Cell and Molecular biology. After graduating, she hopes to further her education in Medical School and work as a pediatric surgeon. In her free time, she enjoys outdoors activities like bike rides, kayaking, and fishing.

Mr. Roman is a first year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at USF. He is from Jacksonville, Florida where he received his undergraduate degree in Psychology and minor in Philosophy from the University of North Florida. De'Vohn has experience in scoring psychodiagnostic assessments and has shadowed psychologists during IQ, Autism, and ADHD assessments. Additionally, he has  experience engaging in and presenting research and working with young children diagnosed with autism in a clinical setting using ABA.

Renee Sandberg is a first year Ed.S. student in School Psychology. She earned a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish from Kennesaw State University.  Renee spent her past three years as a kindergarten teacher and registered behavior technician. Her research interests are academic assessments and interventions, Multi-Tiered System of Supports, applied behavior analysis, and language acquisition. Although Renee loved her 11 years spent living in Georgia, she is excited to spend her time in Tampa and appreciates all the nature Florida has to offer! In her free time, she likes to spend time outdoors, travel, and spend time with loved ones.

Carla Zayas-Santiago is a 2nd-year student at the Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition Ph.D. program at USF. She is originally from Puerto Rico and is fluent in English and Spanish. Ms. Zayas-Santiago holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities with a concentration in Latin American Studies and an M.A. in Spanish Literature from the University of South Florida. Her research interests include bilingual education, cross-linguistic transferability, and Latinx literature as a cultural artifact for student empowerment and language justice. Ms. Zayas-Santiago has previously worked in bilingual education, teaching Spanish to native and non-native Spanish speakers.

Ms. Nguyen is a second year Master of Science candidate in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of South Florida. As a first generation Asian-American, she achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a minor in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of South Florida in 2020. Originally from Orlando, Florida, Ms. Nguyen has become an active member in the Tampa community through community involvement with Buddy Baseball and various USF-based organizations. She was previously employed as a preschool teacher and worked with children ages 0 to 10+ years of age. Currently, she is serving her third pediatric rotation at a local private speech and language practice. She intends to continue providing communication and swallowing-based interventions for pediatric through geriatric populations after graduation.