EdS Student

Payton Kuenzi is an Educational Specialist student in the School Psychology area within the Department of Educational Psychology. She completed her BA at the University of Wisconsin Madison in Psychology and Spanish. Her experiences working with children as a Counselor and Director at Camp Minikani and through research in the Teacher Prejudice Habit-Breaking Intervention fuel her dedication to equity and student well-being in practice. Her other research interests include culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches, social-emotional learning, and fostering strong family–school–community partnerships.

Grace Lister is an Educational Specialist student in the School Psychology area within the Department of Educational Psychology. She received a BA in Psychology with a minor in English from Grand Valley State University. While completing her undergraduate degree, she volunteered on an initiative to implement a social-emotional curriculum to elementary and middle school students in Grand Rapids Public Schools. Following the completion of her Bachelor’s Degree, Grace worked in a classroom supporting students with extreme behavioral needs. Her interests include continuing to support students with emotional and behavioral disorders and advocating for more mental health initiatives in schools.

Ian Loss is a graduate student in the School Psychology Ed.S. program at UW–Madison, driven by a commitment to strengthening mental health supports in schools and advancing equitable, high‑quality education for all students. He earned his B.S. in Psychology with a Spanish minor from Carroll University, where he also served as a Teaching Assistant for Psychological Testing and Assessment. Ian’s work at Community Living Connections where he is supporting adults with autism through relationship‑centered, strengths‑based care, continues to shape his developing practice. His emerging research interests focus on teacher support systems and the creation of positive, sustainable school climates and ecologies that help students and educators thrive.

Caitlyn Lynch is an Educational Specialist student within the Department of Educational Psychology. She completed her BA at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Psychology, and obtained certificates in Criminal Justice, Disability Rights and Services, and Educational Services. She is a scholar in Project SPACE, which is a grant that has partnered with Madison Metropolitan School District to train school psychologists to provide culturally responsive mental health support in schools. Her interests include school, family, and community collaboration, social justice, and culturally responsive interventions.

Marilyn Marbella is an Educational Specialist student in the School Psychology area within the Department of Educational Psychology. Before returning to grad school, she worked in outdoor education in the Santa Cruz mountains in California and North Cascades National Park in Washington state, where she was able to mix her love for the outdoors and SEL to create powerful experiences in nature for diverse children and adolescents.

Karen (Baren) Olvera Garcia is an Educational Specialist student in the School Psychology area within the Department of Educational Psychology.

Samanta Patlan is an Educational Specialist student in the School Psychology area within the Department of Educational Psychology. She completed her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Chicano/a Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Before entering the school psychology program, Samanta worked as a behavior technician and a bilingual 4th-grade teacher. As a first-generation Mexican-American, her cultural background plays a significant role in shaping her identity and professional values. Samanta is passionate about advocating for school mental health and promoting culturally responsive supports and interventions that empower students and families.

Sara Stanislawski is an Educational Specialist student in the School Psychology area within the Department of Educational Psychology. She completed her BA in Psychology and Journalism with a certificate in Education and Educational Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While completing her undergraduate degree, she worked as a summer camp counselor with Madison School and Community Recreation and as a communications intern for the Department of Psychology. She continues to work as a behavior technician in the Madison community. These experiences, along with others, have influenced her interests in the field of School Psychology, particularly in autism, effective interventions for students with disabilities, social and emotional learning, family-school-community partnerships, and media coverage of K-12 education.

Sofia Vandersluis is an Educational Specialist student in the School Psychology area within the Department of Educational Psychology.

Ella Weaver is an Educational Specialist student in the School Psychology area within the Department of Educational Psychology. She received a BS in Elementary Education with a minor in Social Studies Teaching from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Following the completion of her bachelor’s degree, Ella worked as a classroom teacher. Currently, Ella is a part of Dr. Andy Garbacz’s research team, assisting in conducting research on family-school partnerships. Her interests include fostering supportive family-school-community partnerships, promoting positive outcomes for students with internalizing and externalizing concerns, and school climate.