Jasmine Carby - Public Health
Jasmine Carby is an MPH student and a Graduate Assistant in the LEND program. She recently graduated with a BS in Allied Health Sciences and completed a fellowship with the Fund for Global Health advocating for humanitarian assistance and global health aide through policy work and speaking with local legislators in Congress. Jasmine’s disability-related areas of interest include policy work and exploring the experiences of individuals with disabilities and their families within the health care system. Jasmine joined CT LEND because she is passionate about advocating alongside the disability community for equal access to equitable care and opportunities. Her career goal is to become a physician advocate and continue to be involved in policy work and advocacy on behalf of the disability community.
Katharine Cartwright - Audiology Doctoral Year 3
Katharine Cartwright is a third-year Doctor of Audiology student at the University of Connecticut. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences. Her interests include the intersection of hearing loss with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities, as well as improving access to hearing healthcare and communication accommodations. Through her work in the University of Connecticut Aural Rehabilitation Laboratory, she has explored ADA accessibility for individuals with hearing loss and created an accessibility guide to help individuals identify communication accommodations at venues throughout Connecticut. She also serves as the national Average Height Youth Coordinator for Little People of America, where she facilitates support and advocacy initiatives for siblings of individuals with dwarfism. She joined CT LEND to strengthen her skills in interdisciplinary collaboration, leadership, and advocacy. Following graduation, she hopes to work as a clinical audiologist in a medical setting and to become a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Little People of America.
Madelynn Dunnigan - Social Work
Madelynn Dunnigan is a second-year student in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Connecticut in the Individuals, Groups and Families concentration. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Sociology with a focus in Social Work from Keene State College in May of 2024. Madelynn worked as a Middle School Special Education Life Skills Tutor, where she supported students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, helping them navigate the school environment and teaching them social/emotional and independent living skills. Madelynn's passion for working with this population began when she was a member of Best Buddies at her local high school and continued through her work as a tutor. She hopes to continue working with this population across a variety of settings and to engage in advocacy to influence policy changes at the state and national levels for individuals with disabilities and their families . Through the CT LEND experience, she hopes to gain the knowledge and skills that will best support her future work as a social worker.
Carly Dwyer - School Counseling
Carly Dwyer is a second-year master’s student in the Educational Psychology in School Counseling program at the University of Connecticut. She completed her undergraduate degree at Texas Christian University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minors in Women and Gender Studies and Human-Animal Relationships. Last year, she completed her school counseling practicum at Clinton Avenue School in New Haven, where she worked with K–8 students. This year, she will be interning in the school counseling department at Farmington High School. Carly hopes to use CT LEND in her future work as a school counselor when working with families and advocating for all students in their social, emotional, and academic success. Her current area of interest includes the school counselor’s role in managing and administering 504 plans. In her free time, she teaches group fitness classes at the University of Connecticut’s Recreation Center in Storrs.
Rebecca Enright - Special Education
Rebecca Enright is currently completing her master’s year in the Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s Special Education Program. Her experiences working in respite care and as a paraprofessional have provided her with opportunities to work in diverse classroom environments and support children with a variety of needs. One of Rebecca’s goals in joining CT LEND is to gain experience through cross-disciplinary and cross-cohort collaboration while developing a deeper understanding of how comprehensive systems can better support children with disabilities and their families in navigating available resources.
Zachary Kravetz - Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
Zachary Kravetz is a developmental and behavioral pediatrics fellow at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital/Yale School of Medicine. He did his undergraduate training at the University of Florida and attended medical school at Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital and currently serves as the chair for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Pediatric Trainees. Zachary is married, and his wife, Ellie, is a veterinarian training to become a zoo vet. Zachary is in CT LEND to continue developing his interdisciplinary skills and become an advocate for his patients.
Faith Lucier - Audiology
Faith Lucier is a second-year doctoral student in the Audiology program at the University of Connecticut. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She worked as an Educational Audiology Assistant for a year in a school setting with deaf and hard-of-hearing children aged 6 to 17. She is excited to learn through the CT LEND program how to advocate for individuals with disabilities and their families, as well as to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams. Faith aspires to become a pediatric audiologist working in either the medical or educational setting.
Reese McQueen - Genetic Counseling
Reese McQueen is a second-year student in the University of Connecticut's Genetic Counseling program. She received her bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in women and gender studies from Stony Brook University in May 2025. Thus far, she has completed her clinical rotations in cancer genetics, cardiovascular genetics, and prenatal genetics. For her program capstone project, she is creating an interactive online genetic counseling career exploration tool for high school students from diverse backgrounds. She was drawn to LEND because of her experience volunteering in special education classrooms at her hometown elementary school. She hopes to intertwine her passion for disability advocacy with her love for genetics in her future career.
Jenna Oling – Speech-Language Pathology
Jenna Oling is a second-year master's student in the speech-language pathology program at the University of Connecticut. She graduated from UMass Amherst in 2025 with a degree in speech, language, and hearing sciences and a specialization in developmental disabilities and human services. Over the summer, she worked with children with a variety of diagnoses, evaluating and treating speech and language delays and disorders, social communication skills, and fluency disorders. She is particularly interested in supporting children who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and supporting language development in neurodiverse children. She is excited to join the CT LEND program to learn how to best advocate for individuals with disabilities alongside an interdisciplinary team.
Taylor Redner – Social Work
Taylor Redner is a second-year MSW student at the University of Connecticut with a concentration in policy practice. She previously earned a bachelor's degree in early childhood and special education and a master's degree in special education and applied behavior analysis from Mercyhurst University. Since 2016, Taylor has worked as a special education teacher and behavior analyst, serving students and families with intensive needs in various settings, most recently within CT's Regional Educational Service Center system. In her work with students from early childhood through transition age (14-22) and through personal experience, Taylor has developed a passion for working with interdisciplinary teams to support individuals, families, and educators in embedding self-advocacy, independent living, and supported decision-making skills into daily life at every age to prepare for transition to adulthood. Through her MSW program and participation in CT LEND, Taylor is preparing to shift to policy-centered work focused on advocating for improved person-centered transition services statewide.
Elianah (Elle) Reynolds– School Psychology
Elle Reynolds is a doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Connecticut. She studied Psychology and Neuroscience at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, graduating in 2025. As an undergraduate research assistant, she worked on a team focused on supporting informal caregivers, or those providing unpaid care to a loved one with a disability or health-related needs. This project informed her approach to school psychology, supporting students with disabilities by collaborating with caregivers and providing resources to help them feel supported. This past year, she gained experience in and enthusiasm for advocating for children on the autism spectrum through her work as a Behavior Technician at Hope Network Center for Autism in Kentwood, Michigan. Her training and research interests include mind-body-health-focused interventions for children on the autism spectrum and advocacy for neurodevelopmentally diverse children and their families across a variety of educational settings. Elle looks forward to being shaped and informed by CT LEND in her practice as a future school psychologist to support children with disabilities and their families.
Megan Rutten – Social Work
Megan Rutten is a second-year student in a Master of Social Work program with a concentration in Individuals, Groups, and Families. She earned her B.S. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Minnesota. While at the University of Minnesota, Megan conducted research dedicated to diversifying the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Following her time in college, Megan completed a 2-year research trainee program at the Yale Child Study Center, where she coordinated and helped lead the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) study examining gender differences and the transition to adulthood in ASD. With a background in neurodevelopment research and through her training in CT LEND, Megan hopes to apply theory in practice as a future provider.
Sabrina Sanclemente – Speech-Language Pathology
Sabrina Sanclemente is currently a second-year student in the University of Connecticut Speech-Language Pathology master's program. She attended Brown University and obtained her B.A. in Psychology and Modern Culture and Media. There, she worked as a research assistant in the Brown Language and Thought Lab, researching language development, particularly beginning in infancy. This past summer, she completed her first outpatient clinical placement as a student SLP at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, where she gained firsthand experience working with a variety of neurodevelopmental disabilities in young children. She has also worked as a paraprofessional, substitute teacher, and camp counselor. These early positions in schools changed her career trajectory. Sabrina joins CT LEND to make a greater impact on the community, especially multicultural communities. Sabrina aims to be a bilingual speech pathologist (Spanish and English). She would like to focus on treating feeding and swallowing disorders in infants in the NICU, addressing a variety of language disorders, expanding access to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and treating voice disorders.
Bryce Turner – Public Health
Bryce Turner is an Accelerated Master of Public Health student at the University of Connecticut. He previously earned a B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in Spanish and a B.S. in Molecular & Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut. He has also worked as a Behavior Technician for three years. Bryce is interested in improving access to behavioral supports and healthcare for persons with IDD and is excited to learn more about the state of our behavioral healthcare system and how persons with IDD interact with it through the CT LEND program. He hopes his experience with CT LEND will support his work to become an advocate for behavioral healthcare accessibility reform.
Taina Amaro - Community Participant
Taína Amaro is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a private clinical practice and serves as Principal Consultant and Director of Training at Cadence Consulting and Training, where she designs and delivers trauma-informed training for mental health and educational professionals. She holds an MSW and a BA from the University of Connecticut and has over 20 years of experience in social work, educational leadership, and special education. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional licensed in Connecticut, Texas, and Florida. Taína joined CT LEND to strengthen her interdisciplinary leadership skills and collaborate with professionals who support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. She aims to expand her consulting and training work with school districts, integrating trauma-informed care and IDD-specific supports. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Tatiana Duggan - Parent and Future Physician
Tatiana Duggan is an aspiring pediatrician, a former high school science teacher, and a mother to an autistic child. She joins CT LEND with a wealth of lived experience that inspired her to become a better leader and advocate for the autism community. Her experience as an educator gives her insight into the obstacles teachers face in meeting the needs of autistic students. As a parent, she has navigated the emotional impact of special education, therapies, and the unexpected challenges of everyday life. As an advocate, she would like to work to improve academic environments for autistic students and their teachers, and to provide better resources and assistance to parents to help lessen their fears and anxieties when handling new diagnoses. Tatiana believes the knowledge and insight she will gain from the LEND program will be crucial to accomplishing her goals.
Rene Lambert – Self-Advocate
Rene Lambert was born in Jamaica and moved to the US with her family at 17. Rene has spastic quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and is a passionate student pursuing psychology and digital media/journalism. She is an active member of the Connecticut Council on Persons with Developmental Disabilities, PATH CT, and other advocacy and charitable organizations, including BlessBackJamdown Missions. This charity gives back to underserved communities in Jamaica. Rene is the 2025 Ryan Colburn Award recipient and an honors student at the University of Hartford. She graduated from CT State Manchester Community College in Spring 2025 with her associate's degree, where she helped implement a transportation system for students with disabilities. In the future, she hopes to pursue studies in theology and continue her disability advocacy work. Rene’s interest in expanding her advocacy experience brought her to the CT LEND program.
Evelyn Soria-Goyzueta - Nursing
Evelyn Sora-Goyzueta is a Registered Nurse in the Intermediate Unit at University of Connecticut Health, and a second-year graduate student in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Connecticut. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a teaching assistant at the Gengras Center for high school students with developmental and learning disabilities. This experience inspired her to work as a residential technician for an adult group home through HARC, Inc. As a bilingual, Spanish-speaking nurse and future FNP, Evelyn is dedicated to advocating for the IDD community, which is often an underserved population in healthcare. Her training focuses on bridging healthcare gaps, advocating for IDD patients and families, and delivering compassionate, patient-centered care with dignity and equity. She joins the CT LEND program to expand her interdisciplinary knowledge and strengthen her capacity to advocate for individuals with IDD and their families throughout their healthcare journeys.