Members

Hatun Zengin-Bolatkale, PhD, CCC-SLP is the director of the SPACE Lab and an Assistant Professor in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University. She is a speech-language pathologist by training, with clinical, research, and teaching experience that spans more than a decade. She completed her master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Illinois and her PhD at Vanderbilt University. Her work has always centered on children who stutter—with a particular interest in cognitive, emotional, and linguistic factors that shape how stuttering develops and changes over time. In her research, she uses a wide range of tools—from caregiver reports and behavioral coding to neurophysiological measures like skin conductance, heart rate, and ERPs—to better understand why some children continue to stutter while others recover. Her goal is to help build more informed, evidence-based approaches to assessment and intervention. Outside of work, she loves traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Amaya is a second-year M.A. student in the Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences program at SDSU. She is originally from Massachusetts but attended undergrad at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She graduated with a B.S. in Communication Sciences & Disorders and minors in Spanish and Honors Transdisciplinary Studies in 2024. She has two family members who stutter and has seen the positive impact that SLPs have on others. Her passion for working with individuals who stutter led her to the field of Speech-Language Pathology and to join this lab! She is bilingual in English and Spanish and aspires to become a bilingual SLP specializing in working with children and adults who stutter. In her free time, she enjoys photography, reading, painting, and exploring San Diego with her friends.

Eliza Lewis is a second-year M.A. student at San Diego State University studying Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. She grew up in San Diego and earned her B.S. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Eliza was drawn to this field after learning American Sign Language and was inspired by the opportunity to support communication in diverse and meaningful ways as an SLP. Outside of school, she enjoys going to the beach, spending time with family and friends, and trying new recipes.

Kayla Angeles is originally from Fresno, CA where she attended Fresno State University and obtained her B.A. in speech-language pathology. She moved down to San Diego to pursue my M.A. in speech-language pathology at SDSU. She is currently a second-year graduate student. She choose to purse a career in speech-language pathology, because as a child, she attended speech therapy. Through her lived experience of receiving services, she learned that she wanted to be on the other side helping children like herself. In my free time, she enjoys doing aerial silks, going for walks, and reading.

Emily is a second-year graduate student in the Speech-Language Pathology M.A. program at San Diego State University. She also completed her undergraduate studies at SDSU, where she contributed to research in the Laboratory for Brain Dynamics of Language. Eager to broaden her experience across different areas of the field, Emily joined the SPACE Lab to immerse herself in the study of stuttering, an area she was excited to explore more deeply. As a San Diego native, Emily enjoys the simple pleasures going to the beach, watching the sunset, and eating Mexican food. Fun fact: Emily designed our lab logo!

Paulina Enriquez Vazquez is from Orange County. She came across Speech-Language Pathology when completing a career project for her 8th grade AVID class and fell in love with the field immediately. To her, SLP was a perfect mix of helping others, language, and speech (all of the things she cares about). A couple of years later, Paulina graduated from UC San Diego with a B.A. in Linguistics with a Specialization in Speech & Language Sciences. She is now a rising second year grad student at San Diego State University in the process of earning her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology! She involved herself in the SPACE Lab because stuttering has always been a topic of interest for her. In fall semester of her first year, her, along with two other peers, worked together in an evaluation for a client who stutters, and they worked with Dr. ZB to gain insight on their preparation for that session. Since then, Paulina's interest in stuttering was further piqued, so she was encouraged to join the lab! In her free time, Paulina likes to listen to music, watch movies/shows, and read!

Carissa Bubien is the lab manager and is currently a undergrad student at SDSU studying Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. She grew up in San Diego and found the field of speech-language pathology through her love of working with others and an interest in ASL. Carissa joined SPACE lab from her interest in research and to gain more hands-on experience in the field. In her free time, she loves to go thrifting, do crafts, and hangout by the beach!