People
Director
Brooke Merritt, PhD, CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
bmmerritt@utep.edu
(915) 747-7278
Faculty Profile
Graduate Students
Lailani Chehedeh
Graduate Student, MS in Speech-Language Pathology
Lailani is pursuing a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology because it offers a large scope of practice with various populations in varied clinical settings. Her clinical interests include working with voice and fluency, neurogenic communication disorders, and cultural and linguistic diversity. Working in the PRIDE Lab has taught her the importance of evidence-based research and provided opportunities for cross training with other professionals. She hopes to make an invaluable contribution, helping others by enhancing their communication abilities.
June Contreras
Doctoral Student, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD Program
Junes's two main research interests are Speech Perception and A.I. research, particularly in the deep learning area. Deep learning has demonstrated many advancements that show promise for helping us analyze and understand the speech signal. June is deeply interested in leveraging these recent advancements for understanding gender identity in a more nuanced way, specifically so that those findings can help therapists give more directed affirming voice therapy care.
Ariadna Hernandez
Graduate Student, MS in Speech-Language Pathology
Ariadna is a second-year master's student who hopes to become a medical speech-language pathologist in Texas and serve the bilingual community. Working in the lab has introduced an interest in the acoustic phonetics of the transgender and cisgender communities.
Undergraduate Students
Marissa Jimenez
BS in Rehabilitation Sciences Student
Marissa is majoring in Rehabilitation Sciences with a concentration in Speech-Language Pathology. She is interested in the PRIDE lab's research on how individuals distinguish gender through voice. She hopes to learn how voice therapy can provide a way for individuals to best express themselves through their voice.
Kimberley Rodriguez
BS in Rehabilitation Sciences Student
Kimberley is a senior working towards a BS in Rehabilitation Sciences, with a concentration in Speech-Language Pathology. She's an ally for the LGBTQ+ community and is a volunteer for the PRIDE Lab as part of the BLOOM Project, under the supervision of Dr. Merritt.
Aylin Varela
BS in Rehabilitation Sciences Student
Aylin strongly believes that working towards equality and respect is a key factor in making a great clinician. The PRIDE Lab gives allies and members of the LGBTQ2SIA+ the opportunity to be part of a change in society. Aylin would like to work in pediatrics, providing home care services after graduation.
