Katrina Janairo is a Speech-Language Pathologist who was born and raised in Southern California and calls the Inland Empire her home. Speech-language pathology is actually Katrina’s second career, as she has her roots in teaching Special Education. She received her B.A. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and her Education Specialist Credential and M.A. in Digital Teaching and Learning from Azusa Pacific University (APU). After teaching in the city of San Bernardino for 6 years, her students and love for communication pushed her to pursue a degree in speech-language pathology. She received her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Emerson College in April 2021.
Katrina is passionate about helping others communicate effectively and bases her practice in client-centered care, culturally responsive practice, family and caregiver collaboration, and research-based therapy techniques. Although she enjoys working with individuals across the age span, Katrina has a soft spot for the early intervention population, as she thoroughly finds joy in eliciting language through play and facilitating interaction between clients and their families.
Outside of speech-language pathology, Katrina has many different interests. Some of these include traveling, reading, dancing, floral arrangement, and playing D&D (yes, you read that correctly – she prides herself on being a huge nerd). A saying that she lives by is, “Be the person you needed when you were younger.”
Katrina is thankful to be part of the First Expressions team and looks forward to working with clients in the Riverside area!