Undergraduate Students and Volunteers

Dyanna Oastler is a recent graduate from SDSU with a B.A. in English and currently volunteers in the lab supporting research. As a Deaf individual, she is passionate about disability advocacy and the intersection of language, identity, and mental health. Her research interests include language deprivation, language acquisition, Deaf mental health, and the development of inclusive tools that bridge communication gaps. Dyanna hopes to pursue graduate studies in psychology or a related field and is committed to research that uplifts underserved communities and promotes equitable access for all.

Zella Pangle is a sophomore studying Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, with a Honors
minor in Interdisciplinary Studies as well as a minor in Child and Family Development. Her areas
of interest include the cultural perspectives of the Deaf Community in a hearing world, as well as
the cultural backgrounds and differences in sign languages around the world. She was
introduced to these topics while taking ASL classes throughout high school. Zella is currently
considering speech pathology or audiology for her future field. As a hard-or-hearing individual,
she is passionate about working with children and advocating for sign language use in the
formative years.

Caitlin Pearson is a junior majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at SDSU. Her areas of interest include understanding language in the brain along with language deprivation, particularly as these pertain to Deaf children and children with cognitive disabilities. She is passionate about advocacy for the use and importance of early exposure to signed languages for deaf and HOH children. This stems from her interest in ASL, and hearing the perspectives of deaf teachers throughout middle and high school ASL classes. She is interested in a future in Speech-Pathology and neurolinguistics research.