LEND Class of 2023-24

Khadra Ahmed

I am a second-year graduate student pursuing my master's degree in speech language pathology. I received my bachelor's degree in communication and sociology from the College of Saint Benedict. Currently at the University of Minnesota, I am in the bilingual and multicultural emphasis program and the Students of Color Health and Wellbeing Alliance (SCHWA) in the Speech Language Hearing Sciences Department. Also, as an interventionist in Dr. Finestack's Child Language Intervention Lab, I assist in a grammar language research study that looks at how kids use language. I wish to work in bilingual Somali-English speech language pathology and open a clinic that caters to bilingual and underserved populations. My LEND goal is to widen my knowledge and skill set in interdisciplinary work to create inclusive and affirming spaces that empower neurodiverse communities of various backgrounds. I also hope to collaborate and learn from my fellow LEND peers so that, as a future clinician, I can provide effective, holistic care to individuals, their families, and larger communities.

Maria Bernhardt

Maria Bernhardt is pursuing her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree at the University of Minnesota, where her specialty is primary care pediatric nurse practitioner. She has been a nurse for six years, the last four of which have been spent caring for children with medical complexity. As a LEND fellow, she hopes to gain a deeper understanding of working with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, so she can be a stronger advocate and provider for them in the future.

Joan Biegert

Joan Biegert grew up in Waseca, Minnesota. She is one of nine children born to a beautiful family who happen to have a genetic disorder that manifested in three of her siblings. Each of these siblings had/has a co-occurring disability, including two with autism and one with Down syndrome. In 1989, Joan was legally added as a guardian (along with her parents) for her sister with intellectual and developmental disabilities  who lived in a group home near Minneapolis. Joan graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1992, earning a bachelor's degree in elementary education with a minor in special education. She worked as a special education teacher in Montana (1992-2002), where she married her husband and began raising their three daughters. Following a recommendation by their pediatrician to pursue an evaluation for autism for their oldest daughter (age 4), they moved to southern Minnesota to be closer to relatives and to access support systems they felt would be more readily available in Minnesota. Joan then started attending her sister’s annual review meetings, along with her parents. Joan earned an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) certificate from the University of St. Thomas in 2004 and her master's degree in special education, with an additional licensure in ASD through Concordia University, St. Paul in 2018. Joan’s goals include learning (self-awareness, leadership skills, community-building skills, understanding how to best support and advocate with people with disabilities) from previous and current fellows and the leadership team at MNLEND and working with students, parents and colleagues to create a structured peer support system for her school district that will foster inclusive community within the shared classrooms. She is also inspired to learn more about how she can support and advocate with her sister as she recently became her sister’s sole guardian last year.

Prince Cole

I am an immigrant, a disability self-advocate, and executive director of Disability Motivational Network, a nonprofit organization. Other skills I have are project management, problem-solving, and creativity leadership. My name is Prince Cole. I have a physical disability, and I used a wheelchair. I am a certified minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My career path is business administration and customer service. I loved interacting and working with people from different backgrounds, especially people with disabilities. I have a mini-master certificate in business administration. I also have nonprofit certificates, including nonprofit training certificates, nonprofit ready online training 2019-2021, nonprofit essentials certificate, raise money like a pro certificate, marketing essentials certificate, nonprofit accounting certificate, creating a fundraiser plan certificate, six biggest mistakes executive directors make certificate, how do nonprofit organizations generate revenue certificate, project management framework A & B certificate, and motivating your employees certificate.

Nicole N. Conti

Nicole N Conti has worked in disability advocacy and services since 2017, first at The Arc Minnesota and now at Rise, Incorporated. Nicole's current role at Rise is associate director of grants, which includes developing new programs, writing grants, supporting implementation, and evaluating grant-funded programs. She also works as a grants and evaluation consultant for other nonprofits. Nicole enters the LEND program as a community fellow. She aims to grow her leadership skills, improve her network, and gain other critical experiences necessary to help build the infrastructure for better access to LGBTQ+-services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This interest stems from her experience starting an LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Rise. Once she made herself a visible expert on queer issues, she received numerous inquiries from coworkers looking for help supporting an LGBTQ+-identified people, underlining the need for specific LGBTQ+ information, services, and community participation opportunities for queer people with disabilities. A native of Massachusetts, Nicole holds a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College and a master's degree from the University of Texas, both in Art History. She recently completed a graduate certificate in program evaluation at the University of Minnesota, for which she completed an internship facilitating a research study with Saint Cloud State University and Rise on employment outcomes for people with disabilities transitioning out of subminimum wage jobs. In her free time, Nicole enjoys lifting heavy weights, riding her bicycle, hammocking, and going on roadtrips in the southwestern United States. She and her partner reside in south Minneapolis with their two cherished feline overlords.

Lynn Davis

Lynn Davis joins the MNLEND program as a community member. She holds a doctorate degree in higher education administration from St. Cloud State University. Lynn was born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone and immigrated to Minnesota in 2009 to study. After graduation, she taught human relations and race for four years at St. Cloud State University. Five years ago, Lynn was involved in a car crash with her two children, one of whom suffered multiple skull fractures and had to undergo two surgeries. During this time, Lynn was the primary caregiver. It was this experience that sparked Lynn’s desire to help other parents, especially immigrants’ parents in her community. She intends using this LEND opportunity to learn, connect, and facilitate collaborative efforts between parents of children with disabilities and professionals in the medical, educational, social work, and legislative systems that serve them in the United States and underdeveloped countries around the world. Lynn is a board member in charge of program design with the African Women’s Alliance, which is based in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Donnie TC Denome

Donnie TC Denome (they/them) is a multiply-disabled, autistic self-advocate, AAC user, writer, and graphic designer. Donnie currently works as the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s inclusive publications and research coordinator, where they create, edit, and curate many of ASAN’s Easy Read and plain language resources. Donnie holds a master's degree in public health from Claremont Graduate University with a focus in health education for people with intellectual, communication, and developmental disabilities. Donnie is especially interested in disability culture and community-building, comprehensive competent mental health services for people with disabilities, and bridging connections between the labor rights and disability rights movements. They hope to one day pursue a doctoral degree in a disability-related field. Donnie’s goal for the LEND year is to learn more about disability policies and services on a state and national level and to work with other self-advocates with disabilities.

Fanny Fernandez

Fanny Fernandez has been involved with multicultural communities for over ten years, dedicating her efforts to help families and individuals accessing resources and mental health support. As a holistic therapist, ancestral healing practitioner, Reiki master, international doula-childbirth educator, and a lactation peer counselor, Fanny brings a diverse skill set to her mission. Fanny is the founder of Infinite Prema and Embracing Community Balance, two projects committed to providing emotional, spiritual, cultural, and wellbeing support to diverse communities. Fanny has served as a parent educator at NAMI Minnesota for over five years as well as co-chair for CLUES board and assistant co-chair at Ramsey County MHWAT. Serving others has become part of Fanny’s daily life and fuels her purpose to continuously learn from every individual who comes across her path.

Anna Heinzerling

Anna is a clinical social worker who has provided therapy and supervision in a variety of settings, including schools, residential programs, and day treatment. She graduated from Carleton College in 2010 and received her master's degree in social work from Boston College in 2014. Anna currently works at a group practice, providing therapy for clients across the lifespan, most of whom are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. She also formed and now co-leads a neurodiversity-affirming consult group for mental health professionals. Her passion for working with autistic individuals was enhanced by receiving her own autism diagnosis at the age of 33. In her spare time, Anna enjoys running, reading, dragon boat paddling with fellow breast cancer survivors, and obsessing over her and her spouse’s five rescue animals. During her LEND fellowship, Anna hopes to connect with other professionals who share her passion for learning about neurodevelopmental disabilities and advocating for those experiencing them. She plans to gain more knowledge and skills to help create a society where people with neurodevelopmental disabilities are not sought to be changed or eradicated, but appreciated and accommodated.

Kara Lane

Kara Lane is a current genetic counseling student at the University of Minnesota. Kara graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a master's degree in engineering in bioengineering, a bachelor's degree in creative writing, and a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology with a minor in chemistry. As someone who identifies as having a disability, Kara is passionate about inclusive design and breaking systematic barriers for people with disabilities. In her free time, Kara is an avid homebrewer and enjoys reading and writing science fiction. During her time in the Minnesota LEND program, Kara hopes to develop skills to be a better advocate for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families as well as find ways to create more accessible health information to give to people with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families.

Eric Mitchell

I am currently entering my second year as a doctor of audiology (Au.D.) student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. I was born and raised in Florida, where I received my bachelor's degree in communication science and disorders from Florida State University. My interests in the field include anatomy, linguistics, patho- and electro-physiology, psychophysics, healthcare policy and equity, and Deaf culture. The field of audiology has historically underserved and discriminated against minoritized communities, and currently consists of an underwhelming number of diverse professionals. However, audiology is a relatively new field, which I believe can be an advantage if foundations of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are intentionally and substantially established. My aspirations are not solely limited to my prospective field; I am a staunch advocate for human rights in the financial, political, and social realms as well. I believe that learning and advocating are lifelong pledges, and I believe that honest, intentional education and collaboration are enduring parts of activism of any sort. My own identity as a person of color, as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and as neurodiverse compels me to have an intrinsic desire to better understand and promote healthcare accessibility and justice for individuals and groups that have historically been mistreated by the medical and scientific communities. I am a firm believer that interdisciplinary care and research result in the most transparent, optimal outcomes for all patients. I believe that the MNLEND experience will better equip me to serve and uplift individuals with disabilities and simultaneously combat ableist and prejudiced rhetoric.

Anisa Mohamed

My name is Anisa Mohamed. I was born and raised in Ethiopia before moving to Minnesota as a teenager. I graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in psychiatry from Walden University in 2022. I have 13+ years of experience as a medical/surgical, public health, and mental health nurse. I currently work as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. As a practitioner and community health advocate, I am interested in autism research focusing on early intervention and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness, particularly in the East African community. As a MNLEND fellow, I hope to learn, facilitate, and improve systems for early intervention and improve quality of life for individuals, families, and communities with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Roman Morris

Roman is a master's degree student of public policy at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. His background is in community mental health, and he sought a graduate education in order to take a systems-level approach to improving service delivery for individuals with support needs. Folks with neurodevelopmental disabilities are a major part of this population, and Roman is participating in LEND to become better acquainted with the disability community, along with the policies, services, research, and advocacy shaping their lives. Roman started this journey with a yearlong internship with The Arc Minnesota’s Regional Quality Councils, where he developed a collaborative community engagement model designed to build relationships with historically-underrepresented communities. Within his master's degree program, Roman also has a self-designed concentration in program evaluation. Another goal for LEND is to explore the role of research and evaluation within disability-related programs such as those administered by the State of Minnesota.

Madisyn Morrow

Madisyn is currently a doctoral student in the University of Minnesota’s occupational therapy program. She began her last year of the doctoral program in Fall 2023 and is working to graduate in Fall 2024. She previously attended the University of Wisconsin – River Falls to earn her bachelor’s degrees, double majoring in psychology and neuroscience. Madisyn has known since she was young that she wanted to work with the child and youth-based population. She has worked with autistic children and volunteered her time during middle and high school by spending study halls and lunches with peers who had neurodevelopmental diagnoses, even providing respite care to one classmate with whom she became very close. Madisyn intends to use her LEND opportunity to learn more about the many different neurodevelopmental disabilities and how she can help children with neurodevelopmental disabilities become more independent in their daily activities.

Mariah Olinger

Mariah Olinger (she/her) is currently completing a master's degree in maternal child health at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She completed her bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. Her past research interests have included the relationship between genetics and neurobiology to autism spectrum disorder and opioid use disorder/harm reduction. She was born in Nevada; however, she considers Minnesota her home. She and her partner have three dogs (Walley, Wesley, and Ozzy) and two cats (Cow and Tiny). She spends her time seeking out adventure and playing Dungeons and Dragons. She aspires to be a physician one day and is continuing to work towards that goal through her experience as a MNLEND fellow. Mariah hopes to gain a multifaceted lens to understand care and disability advocacy. She has always been passionate about making a difference and helping others find their own voice.

Enitan Onayiga

Hello, my name is Enitan. I am of Nigerian-American descent and I hail from Saint Paul. During my undergraduate studies, I pursued a double major in criminal justice and psychology. I have a keen interest in exploring various cultures and understanding diverse individuals. I am particularly enthusiastic about gaining knowledge and experience in assisting individuals with disabilities. Presently, I am employed in a role where I work with children who have disabilities.

Qichao (Zoe) Pan

Zoe is a third-year doctoral student in special education at the University of Minnesota. She obtained her master's degree in special education from Beijing Normal University in China and moved to the United States in 2021 to continue her research, with a particular focus on supporting autistic individuals and their families. Her research interests lie in implementing social communication interventions for autistic children from culturally and linguistically diverse families, developing caregiving training programs to empower families in low-resource settings, and engaging in community-based research within the autism community. As a LEND fellow, Zoe is looking forward to connecting with interdisciplinary professionals and community members, fostering meaningful collaborations, and ultimately benefiting the autism community with her research, practice, and advocacy.

Amina Qureshi

Amina Qureshi earned her bachelor's degree in developmental psychology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Throughout her undergraduate career, she learned about disability advocacy from the community itself, used that knowledge to inform her advocacy work in academic spaces, re-integrated back into the community to learn more, and then repeated this cycle. Amina has primarily worked with and advocated for children with autism, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and who are in foster care or are adopted in community and clinical settings.

Amina hopes to gain a better understanding of disability advocacy on a multisystem level from working with an individual to aligning policies to meet the needs of the neurodevelopmental disorders community. As an aspiring pediatrician one day, she intends to use this knowledge to prepare herself to advocate for the neurodevelopmental disorders community in medical school and beyond. She is committed to understanding the identities of her future patients and how she can collaborate with them to create plans of care that are accessible, individualized, and extend beyond clinical settings.

Samantha Schoenecker

Samantha Schoenecker is the Gillette Children’s physical therapy resident of the 2023-2024 term. She grew up in Dallas, Texas and received her doctorate of physical therapy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in May of 2023. She grew up working with children as a swim instructor and now enjoys helping each child reach their full movement potential. She plans to grow her knowledge and experience with the goal of pursuing a pediatric clinical specialty in physical therapy. During her time in the Minnesota LEND program, Samantha hopes to gain a better understanding of the full effect of neurodevelopmental disabilities on a child's life and their family's life in order to be a better advocate and supporter for the individuals she works with.

Steven Smedshammer

Steven Smedshammer, MD, is a first-year, developmental-behavioral pediatric fellow at the University of Minnesota. He recently completed his three-year pediatric residency at the University after moving to Minnesota from North Dakota. Through the MNLEND program, Steven is hoping to develop and strengthen his understanding of neurodiversity and learn how, in his role as a pediatrician, to advocate for improving the lives of his patients. His particular areas of interest involve the intersection between neurodiversity and medical care, understanding the role of medications in neurodevelopmental disorders, and helping collaborate with academic systems to provide the best quality learning environment for their students.

Soyoul Song

Soyoul Song is a second-year doctoral student in family social science at the University of Minnesota. She earned her master's degree in marriage and family therapy from Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota and her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on family relationships and mental health in immigrant families and international student families in higher education.

Abigail Speller

Abigail is pursuing a master's degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Minnesota. She holds bachelor's degrees in economics and German studies from Hamline University. Initially, she intended to study public policy, but she chose a clinical career path after she discovered speech-language pathology. She is passionate about disability rights, cultural and linguistic advocacy, early-childhood intervention, and healthcare access. She is currently gaining clinical experience around the Twin Cities metro area. In addition to being a MNLEND fellow, Abigail works for the University of Minnesota's Center for Health Interprofessional Programs and creates programming for interprofessional student collaboration. During her fellowship year, she hopes to make connections with fellows across disciplines and gather skills to help her in her future clinical practice and as a disability rights advocate.

Corri Stuyvenberg

Corri Stuyvenberg has been an early intervention physical therapist for over 25 years. During her tenure with the Minneapolis Public Schools, Corri completed her certificate in infant and early childhood mental health at the University of Minnesota and has received her Endorsement® in Infant Mental Health. She is an assistant professor in physical therapy at the University of Minnesota Medical School, teaching human growth and development, pediatric physical therapy, and the pediatrics elective to doctor of physical therapy students. Corri is also a fifth-year doctoral student in rehabilitation science at the University of Minnesota. Her research explores associations between qualities of parent-infant relationships and infant motor development in both term and pre-term infants.

Emily Unholz-Bowden

Emily Unholz-Bowden is a post-doctoral associate at the Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Community Living and Participation (ARRT) fellowship at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration. She is a board-certified behavior analyst and has extensive experience in the development and implementation of interventions with children and adults with disabilities, primarily in supporting the acquisition of augmented and alternative communication with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Currently, as part of ARRT, Emily is involved in projects that investigate postsecondary transition experiences for youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and explore ways to improve services to support better outcomes. Some areas of research interest include supported decision-making, employment and career exploration, access to postsecondary education, and access to leisure activities in the community.

Mahdi Warsama

Mahdi Warsama directs programs and the Somali American Community Autism Partnership Project for the Somali Parents Autism Network. He was also the outreach coordinator for the Somali outreach program at The Buckeye Ranch in Columbus, Ohio. He has a master's degree in security and resilience studies from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his bachelor's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and minored in political science at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. He has a certificate of leadership in human services management from Ohio State University. Mahdi is part of the 2023-2024 MNLEND fellowship program. As a strong advocate for children diagnosed with autism and as part of his keen interest in autism-related causes and other developmental disability issues, Mahdi wants to participate in MNLEND fellowship programs to advance his technical skills and professional development.

Shay Williams

Shay is a doctoral candidate in school psychology at the University of Minnesota, and is a practicum student at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain-Autism and Neurodevelopment Clinic. Shay has had the privilege of working with the neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) population in various community, school, and clinical settings. Centering the voices of children with NDD and their families is at the heart of Shay’s professional approach. Shay’s goal is to promote supportive, affirming practices, and dismantle harmful structures and stigma through her research and practice endeavors. Shay is excited to join MNLEND as a pre-doctoral fellow, and is looking forward to the interdisciplinary collaboration to improve ecological contexts, services, and outcomes for children with NDD and their families.

Chloe Wruck

Chloe Wruck is proudly neurodivergent and a second-year graduate student studying speech-language pathology at the University of Minnesota. She previously earned a bachelor's degree in speech pathology from the University of Minnesota. During her undergraduate studies, she had the opportunity to take trauma-informed care coursework and work at a childcare center that practiced trauma-informed care. Chloe has also worked extensively with children in school and community settings. Through MNLEND, Chloe hopes to learn more about disability policy, self-advocacy, and interdisciplinary collaboration so that she can better serve individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. In her free time, she enjoys practicing aerial silks, drawing, and playing with her two cats.

Jinyi Zhang

Jinyi Zhang is a third-year doctoral student in developmental psychopathology and clinical science at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development. Her research focuses on strategies that help young children make prudent decisions. She is currently doing a practicum at the pediatrics department where she works with children and families with various neurological and developmental concerns. Through the MNLEND program, Jinyi is hoping to use knowledge of competencies and perspectives from other disciplines to help translate her research into effective, innovative, and useful tools to enhance the lives of children and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Through discussions and experiential learning, she also hopes to gain deeper understanding of neurodiversity that can help her better support and serve the children and families she works with.

Jackson DuFauchard

My name is Jack DuFauchard. I'm originally from Denver, Colorado and currently I'm a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota pursuing a bachelor's degree in neuroscience. Extracurricularly, I'm engaged with research and interventional care at the autism clinic at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, which directly led to my joining this year's MNLEND cohort. Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I hope to enter a career in medicine that involves treatment of neurodivergent individuals, families, and communities. As a MNLEND fellow this year, I hope to learn about the access and experiences of medical care for neurodivergent individuals, and how to promote medical equity to individuals with different needs.

Emma Lutzke

Emma is a second-year graduate student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, studying speech language pathology. She received a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation and human services from Penn State University, and a post-baccalaureate certificate in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Emma has enjoyed working with children and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities in a variety of settings, such as childcare centers, residential programs, and pediatric clinics. Currently, she is participating in the interprofessional education scholars program, which consists of interprofessional healthcare activities aimed at strengthening collaborative practice. Emma is excited to join MNLEND as a medium-term trainee and hopes to learn more about advocating for families and how to best support them.

Amber Reilly

Amber Reilly is a doctoral candidate in educational psychology (special education) at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include evidence-based practice for individuals with autism/autistic individuals, especially regarding social and ecological validity and neurodiversity affirming practice. Originally hailing from the Great Smoky Mountains of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Amber was a special educator for five years at an urban Title 1 school in Knoxville, Tennessee. Amber received a bachelor's degree in exceptional education and a minor in psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with summa cum laude honors. While teaching, she completed her master's degree in special education with a grade point average of 4.0 from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and she recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a master's degree in educational psychology. Beyond serving people with disabilities, Amber enjoys spending time with her loved ones, animals of all kinds, hiking, reading, and live music. During her LEND fellowship, she hopes to learn more about the disability community and make quality networks with people with disabilities and professionals to improve quality of life outcomes and promote the value of the disability experience.

Moss Schumacher

Moss is in her second year of graduate school at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is earning a master's degree in environmental education, focusing on the impact of nature-based learning on neurodevelopment. Her undergraduate work focused on understanding neurodevelopment, and she deepened this knowledge after graduation through work with the University of Minnesota's fetal alcohol spectrum disorders research lab. Moss also spent multiple years traveling around the country and world through the WorkAway program, volunteering with local communities on sustainability projects that aligned with the United Nations' goals for sustainable development. These experiences, alongside observations of the positive impact of nature on her family members with neurodevelopmental disabilities, led her to pursue a career in environmental education. As a MNLEND fellow, Moss intends to learn how to make nature-based learning more accessible for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities.