Current Students

Current Doctoral Students

Kathryn Bailey, B.S. – Research Assistant

Kate received bachelor’s degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology from Michigan State University in 2017. While at MSU, she also worked as a research coordinator for a lab studying a parent-mediated language intervention for children with ASD. Kate came to Vanderbilt in 2018 for her master’s degree in Special Education on the Severe Disabilities track. She came to KidTalk in 2020 and is currently pursuing a PhD in Early Childhood Special Education.

 

Rachel Frampton, B.S. – Research Assistant
Rachel received dual Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2023. During her undergraduate years, she worked as a clinical assistant/trainer at the Kennedy Krieger Institute Inpatient Neurobehavioral Unit and as an RBT at Amigo Care ABA, a company dedicated to serving Spanish-speaking families in the greater Baltimore area. Rachel came to Vanderbilt in 2023 for her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education with the ABA add-on and is currently a research assistant in the KidTalk lab.

Eon-Joo Jang, M.S., BCBA – Research Analyst
Eon-Joo received her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020 before she came to Vanderbilt for her master’s degree in Special Education on the Early Childhood track. Post-program, she taught young students with ASD at a private school and worked as a BCBA for toddlers in a clinic setting. She is now pursuing a PhD in Early Childhood Special Education.

Taydi Ray, M.S., CCC-SLP – Bilingual Education Consultant

Taydi is a bilingual speech-language pathologist. She received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of Memphis and master’s degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas. Upon graduation, she moved to Nashville and worked primarily with preschool and elementary school students. She is most interested in children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. She joined the KidTalk team in May 2022.

 

 

Mary Rodgers, M.S., BCBA – Research Analyst

Mary received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in May 2015.  During her time there she completed practicum hours at the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute serving adults in the long-term care unit and at the Johnson Mental Health Center serving children with emotional disturbances.  In December 2016 she graduated with her M.S. in Psychology from Lipscomb University, then returned to complete her graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis by August 2018.  Originally an intern, Mary is now a full-time Research Analyst for KidTalk and plans to one day complete her Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences.

 

Current Masters Students

 

Jada Haggerty, B.A. – Research Assistant
Jada received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama in 2022. Jada spent her undergraduate career as a research assistant for the University of Alabama’s Center for Youth Development and Intervention. Jada was also a Children’s Intensive Care Coordinator at a mental health clinic in Tuscaloosa.  She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in early childhood special education with the add on specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis.
Ella Hewitt, B.S. – Research Assistant and Susan Gray School Fellow
Ella recieved her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a focus on Early Childhood Intervention and Disability Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2023. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education from Vanderbilt and is excited to be working as part of KidTalk Lab and as a Susan Gray Teaching Fellow.

 

Katia Jarufe, B.S. – Research Assistant

Katia received a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Purdue University in 2023. While at Purdue, Katia worked as an early childcare assistant at a development laboratory school. Katia came to Vanderbilt in 2023 for her master’s degree in Child Studies and is currently a part-time research assistant at KidTalk.

 

 

 

Samara (Mars) Shore, B.A. – Research Assistant 

Samara received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor’s in special education from SFSU in 2022. During her time at SFSU, Samara worked as an RBT with children, mentored adults in college through SFSU’s inclusion Pilot Project, and co-authored a literature review about the best physical activity interventions for adults with IDD. Samara came to Vanderbilt to pursue her master’s degree in early childhood special education with an emphasis in ABA. She joined the KidTalk lab in 2023 and is a behavior support team intern at the Metro Nashville Public Schools. 

 

 

 

 

Graduate students not pictured:

Stephanie Gomez

Hannah Holguin

Kyra Wu

Rose Zhang