Growing up in Cavalier, North Dakota, Alycia was always a busy girl. While she participated in many activities, it was her track and field abilities that enabled her to leave the heartland. After setting the North Dakota State Record in the triple jump, Alycia was recruited by many schools for their track teams. But only one would win... Stepping onto the Stanford campus for the first time, Alycia knew she had found a new home in California.

After retiring from the Stanford Track team her sophomore year, Alycia needed to fill her spare time. She started working as an undergraduate research assistant at the Stanford Center for Infant Studies, under the direction of Anne Fernald. This proved to be a life-changing experience as Alycia finally found her calling. Taking to infant language acquisition like a duck to water, Alycia completed a psychology senior honors thesis studing factors that affect the process of novel word learning in 18-month-old infants.

Graduation in June 2000 did not mean leaving the Stanford "Bubble" for Alycia, she continued to work as the research coordinator in the Center for Infant Studies for the next two years. This gave her time to complete further word learning studies, as well as to apply to graduate school.

Alycia chose the San Diego State University and UC-San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders (the JDP) as her PhD program, starting Fall 2002. Even though her advisor, LIz Bates, passed away in December 2003, Alycia has thus far been very productive in her research. Now entering her sixth year of the program, she is presently working on her dissertation research program [Speech Treatment Study].

Alycia currently resides in San Diego with her boyfriend John and two deaf dogs, Tito the Wonder Puppy and Jedi Master Shaak Ti.