Lucía I. Méndez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she directs the Early Language and Literacy for Diverse Children Lab. She is particularly interested in early language and emergent literacy skills that support school readiness in bilingual and linguistically diverse preschoolers. Her current research investigates approaches to academic vocabulary instruction for Latino preschoolers and the role of language in supporting these children’s participation in literacy and STEM education.