Krystal Anderson, University of California, Berkeley & San Francisco State University
Krystal Anderson is a doctoral student in Special Education at the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University. She has experience working as an special education teacher, early childhood teacher and a lecturer. She has experience working with families and young children who have been influenced by addiction, poverty and homelessness. Similarly to her work as a Special Education teacher, she aspires to support the equity and inclusion of children with disabilities by deepening our understanding of educational systems around the world.
Kyle C. Hay is a current doctoral student, and graduate student researcher, at UCLA under the supervision of Dr. Jennie Grammer in the Department of Education. His research interests include cognitive control, neurodiverse adolescents’ executive function abilities, and the intersection of mathematics and anxiety in the classroom. Before attending UCLA, Kyle worked as a special education teacher in Los Angeles.
Cameron Alexander, University of California, Riverside
Ph.D. Student
Current doctoral student (Ph.D.) in the School Psychology program at the University of California, Riverside. He works as a graduate student researcher at the UC Riverside SEARCH Autism Clinic and the UC Riverside Social Cognitive Development Neuroscience (SCDN) Lab. His research focuses on the role of oxytocin in mediating social stress responses and emotion regulation in autistic adolescents. Cameron is also interested in the diagnostic process for autism spectrum disorder.
Stefano Cantos, University of California, Davis
Stefano Cantos is a first-year Ph.D. student at the University of California, Davis, and the MIND Institute under the advisement of Dr. Nicole Sparapani. He works as a GSR in Dr. Sparapani's CARE Lab, and his research interests include understanding the inclusion of neurodivergent students in their general education classrooms through student relationships, sense of self, and classroom environment.
Leyna Kataoka, School of Education, University of California, Davis
Leyna Kataoka is a second-year Ph.D. student in Education at UC Davis. Her research explores fairness in autism measurement through psychometric approaches. Leyna also supports the development of autism assessments at WPS as a Database Specialist.
Cynthia Parks, School of Education, University of California, Davis, Assistant Conference Chair
As a neurodivergent person, or a person with learning and thinking differences, I am intensely dedicated to developing research that will lead to creating meaningful change within the community of people with neurodevelopmental differences. I believe that when a disability is truly understood educators can begin to instruct through a lens that takes into account the learning differences that come with the diagnosis. As such, I am developing a line of research aimed towards highlighting the relationship between executive functioning skills and achievement outcomes.
Daniel Santana, University of California, Santa Barbara
Daniel Santana (he/him/his) is a first-generation Mexican-American graduate student pursuing his Doctoral degree in Special Education. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Child and Adolescent Studies at California State University, Fullerton and a Master’s degree in Education with a Education Specialist Credential on Extensive Support Needs at UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. Daniel’s passion for teaching and devotion for the field of special education is a by-product from both his professional and personal experiences. Within the context of schools and preservice teacher preparation, Daniel strives to make contributions that will lead to improved educational services and life outcomes for students with diverse needs and multicultural backgrounds. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys distance running, listening to records while making coffee and spending time with his family
Johanna Vega Garcia, School of Education, University of California, Davis
SPEDDR Committee Chair
A doctoral student in the School of Education, she is interested in studying the intersection between race and autism, and how this intersection affects the quality of education students receive. Johanna also works alongside faculty and students from different departments to tackle global issues as a Global Education for All fellow.