Profile

I am currently pursuing a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Alabama. My primary interests lie in the nature of the language faculty and how language is acquired and develops to adulthood. My goal is to contribute meaningful and beneficial findings to the field of communication disorders by integrating current research in language disorders with contemporary minimalist and biolinguistic theory.

Education

• B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies | University of Alabama
  • 2009 – 2013
  • Area of Concentration: Linguistics, East Asian Languages
  • Minor: Asian Studies
  • Senior Project: Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra: Examining Conceptual Metaphor and Cross-Cultural Variation
• M.A., English Linguistics | Eastern Michigan University
  • 2014 – 2016
  • Area of Concentration: Generative Syntax, Pragmatics, Sociolinguistics
  • Advisors:
    • Dr. Daniel Seely (Syntax/Semantics)
    • Dr. Verónica Grondona (Historical Linguistics)
    • Dr. Eric Acton (Pragmatics/Sociolinguistics)
• Ph.D, Comm. Sciences and Disorders | University of South Alabama
  • 2018-present
  • Area of Concentration: Child Language Acquisition, Specific Language Impairment, Probabilistic Learning
  • Advisor: Dr. Brenda Beverly

Additional Education

• Centro Linguistico Italiano | 2011
  • Italian Language and Culture
  • Florence, Italy
• Hankuk University of Foreign Studies | 2012
  • Korean Language and Culture
  • Seoul, Republic of Korea
• Summer Institute of Linguistics | 2013
  • Syntax, Phonology, and Sociolinguistics
  • Grand Forks, North Dakota
• International Christian University | 2015
  • Japanese Language and Composition
  • Tokyo, Japan

Awards

• 2010: Council on International Education Exchange Scholarship Trip to Yonsei University
• 2012: New College Scholarship for Overseas Study
• 2012: Best in Class: East Asian Linguistics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
• 2013: Dean’s List: University of Alabama
• 2019: ASHA Research Mentoring-Pair Travel Award (with Dr. Matthew Rispoli)

Presentations and Publications

• Recasting Linguistic Universals in Light of Modern Cognitive Science
  • Alabama Modern Languages Conference | 2013
  • Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra: A Brief Overview of Conceptual Metaphor
  • Undergraduate Research and Activity Conference | 2013
  • Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Information Structure in the Syntax
  • EMU English Graduate Student Conference | 2016
  • Ypsilanti, Michigan
• The Nature of Information Structure in the Syntax
  • Purdue Languages and Linguistics Conference | 2016
  • West Lafayette, IN
• Review of ‘Price of Productivity’ | Babel: The Language Magazine, Issue no. 22, 2018
• Review of ‘Interfaces in Grammar’ | Linguist List, 2020: https://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?SubID=36573417
• Integrating Open Source and Open Access in Equitable Research and Education
  • Conference on Teaching and Learning | 2022
  • Mobile, AL
• A Tolerance Principle Approach to Artificial Grammar Learning
  • 97th Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America | 2023
  • Denver, CO

Employment

• Writing Consultant | University Writing Center, EMU | 2015 – 2016
• English Language Consultant | Intl. Student Resource Center, EMU | 2015 – 2016
• Writing Tutor/English Language Coordinator | Columbia Southern University | 2016 – 2018
• Linguistic Annotator | Appen Ltd. | 2018
• Graduate Assistant | Dept. of Speech Pathology & Audiology, University of South Alabama | 2018 – 2021
• Graduate Assistant | Innovation in Learning Center, University of South Alabama | 2021 – 2022
• Learning Technology Specialist | Innovation in Learning Center, University of South Alabama | 2022 – Present

Courses Taught

• ENC 1101C: English Composition 1 | Pensacola State College: English and Communications Dept. | Fall 2017
• SHS 431: Intro to Language Disorders | University of South Alabama: Dept. of Speech Pathology & Audiology | Spring 2021
• Camtasia Training Course | University of South Alabama: Innovation in Learning Center | Recurring