2021-2022 BRIDGE Scholars

Naomi Blech is a second-year MSSW student at The Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Prior to attending this program, she worked in oral history collection and museum access programming in New York City. She is passionate about improving transitions to adulthood for individuals with intellectual and developmental disability labels, and she is eager to work with others across departments to deepen her understanding of person-centered and strengths-based service delivery through the BRIDGE program.

Daniela graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Spanish for the native speaker. During that time, she worked with adults recovering from a stroke at the Houston Aphasia Recovery Center as an intern, was a mentor in a middle school through the UH Academic Mentoring Program for Education and Development, and was a college readiness tutor through iEducate. After graduation, she worked with children with Autism for two years in varied settings. She recently spent her summer as a camp counselor at a camp in North Carolina to support children and teenagers with dyslexia and ADHD. She is now pursuing her M.Ed. in Autism and Developmental Disabilities at the University of Texas and is thrilled to be part of the BRIDGE project.

Rachel Chao is an Austin native. She attended her undergraduate education at Berklee College of Music in Boston, completing a B.M. in Music Therapy. She is currently a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC), and has experience working in varied populations, including pediatric oncology, mental health, addiction, active duty service members, and with children and adults with disabilities. She is currently a candidate for her Master of Public Health and Master of Science of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin, and passionate about working with children with disabilities. In her free time, she enjoys running, baking, and cheering on the UT Longhorns.

Michaela Daniels graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in Speech and Hearing Science and is currently a graduate student, working towards her MS in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She is passionate about compassion, understanding the experiences of others and assisting them in effective ways that reflect the research literature. She looks forward to using her education for the betterment of others in her life, community, and in the world, en masse.

Rida Malik is currently pursuing a Master's in Education with a focus in Autism and Developmental Disabilities. She also serves as an elementary life skills teacher and case manager for kids with moderate to severe disabilities in the Greater Austin community. She has extensive experience in working with children with Autism, Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Delays. She obtained her undergraduate education from the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin.

Anna is a second year student in the Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences master’s program. She is so excited to be a part of BRIDGE. She is passionate about helping children with disabilities, language impairments, and finding the best resources, research, and treatments to do so!