People
PhD Students
Kwaku Nyantakyi is a fourth-year PhD student in COMD at LSU. Before coming to LSU,
Kwaku earned a BA in geography and linguistics and an Msc in speech and language therapy
both at the University of Ghana. After his bachelors degree, and prior to his masters
degree, he worked for one year as a teaching and research assistant at the University
of Ghana, Department of Linguistics. Kwaku is interested in language processing in
bilingual children with dyslexia and Specific Language Impairment/ Developmental Language
Disorder (SLI/DLD). He hails from Ghana, where the study of communication disorders
is a new, emerging field. knyant1@lsu.edu
Tahmineh Maleki is a third-year PhD student in COMD at LSU. Before coming to LSU,
she completed a master's degree in 2019 in Speech Therapy with an emphasis in the
assessment of children with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD) from Isfahan University
of Medical Sciences. Additionally, after graduating with her BA in 2015, she worked
as a speech-language pathologist with Persian-speaking pre-schoolers and school-age
children. Tahmineh is originally from Iran. Her research interests include improving
clinical services for Persian-speaking children, use of evidence-based practice to
guide assessment and treatments in speech-language pathology, and the nature of child
language development and disorders across languages and dialects.
tmalek1@lsu.edu
MA Students
Tatum Carver-Dews is a first-year graduate student from Whitehouse, TX who received her BA at LSU by majoring in COMD and minoring in African and African American Studies (AAAS). She graduated as a Distinguished Communicator medalist through LSU's Communication Across the Curriculum (CxC) program, as well as a medalist in the Engaged Citizen Program through the Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership (CCELL). Tatum is currently heavily involved at Jefferson Baptist Church, teaching middle school girls, volunteering in the kid's ministry, and helping out in the nursery. While in grad school she is continuing her involvement in LSU's National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA). Amid all the activities, she is thrilled to be involved with the D4 Child Language Lab as a graduate research assistant (GA) to get the experience needed to become an informed speech-language pathologist one day! Her favorite experience thus far with the lab was presenting at LSU Discover's Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium for her research on narrative microstructure elements her junior year. She is looking forward to continuing this endeavor in learning more about the research process as she pursues her thesis! tcarve1@lsu.edu
My name is Destiny Cooper. I am a second-year MA student at Louisiana State University
from a small town named Shuqualak, MS. I am currently pursuing a degree in COMD. I
aspire to focus my practice on fluency disorders in children and adults. I am ecstatic
about working with Dr. Oetting and the entire team to explore the many aspects of
language development. dcoop41@lsu.edu
Juliette DiCharia is from Slidell, LA and currently enrolled in LSU's COMD MA program.
She will be graduating in Spring 2024 with her Masters' degree. During her undergraduate
time at LSU, she worked in Dr. Oetting's lab. She is excited to work with a new team
this year as a Research Assistant. jdicha7@lsu.edu
Allysia James is a 1st year COMD MA student from Gonzales, LA. She will be graduating
in the Spring of 2025. She has been involved in the National Society of Leadership
and Success since her first year at LSU. Outside of LSU she has experience in job
shadowing at an SLP clinic at Ochsner Hospital and is also currently learning Spanish
and American Sign Language to help with her profession.
ajame58@lsu.edu
Averi Lambert is a COMD MA student at Louisiana State University from Prairieville,
LA. Prior to starting the MA program, Averi graduated from LSU with a COMD BA degree
in May 2023. She is thankful for the opportunity to work in the D4 Lab and is excited
to work with the entire team! alamb54@lsu.edu
BA Students
Pratha Amin is a Junior from Lake Charles, Louisiana majoring in COMD. She has been
involved in NSSLHA and the Indian Student Association. Outside of LSU she works as
a student extender at Dynamic Therapy Specialists. She enjoys being surrounded by
such a hardworking team and being able to gain experience in the field of research.
pamin2@lsu.edu
Caroline Latuso is a sophomore from Baton Rouge, Louisiana majoring in COMD. She is
currently a member of NSSLHA, Greek life, and the musical theater club. She is very
excited to be working in the D4 Lab and is eager to learn more about language development!
clatus1@lsu.edu
Alexa Smith is a junior from Katy, Texas majoring in COMD. In addition to being in
LSU’s NSSLHA chapter, she is a member of the Golden Band from Tigerland and the Latin
American Student Organization. She admires the work of the D4 Child Language Lab and
is excited to be a part of it. asmi668@lsu.edu