Meet Cristina Castillo – The first CHHS faculty member at our Yuma Campus
Cristina Castillo is the very first CHHS faculty member to join the CSD department at NAU Yuma. Read on to learn more about her.
1. What excites you most about joining our Yuma campus as the very first faculty member in the speech-language pathology program?
I am genuinely excited to join the Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Department and serve as the new faculty member at NAU Yuma. There is a growing demand for speech-language pathologists in our community, and I’m thrilled that this program is now accessible to the Yuma region and surrounding areas. As a graduate of the Flagstaff Summer Track program in 2012, I know firsthand how valuable it is to offer a format that allows students to continue working while pursuing their master’s degrees. Making this opportunity available locally is a meaningful step toward supporting aspiring clinicians in our region.
2. Can you share a bit about yourself?
I’m married and a proud parent of four children. We also share our home with a dog and two cats. Although I was born in Southern California, I’ve lived in Yuma for most of my life. My father, originally from California, was a physical education teacher who worked in both Gadsden Elementary and Yuma Union High School Districts for over 30 years. My mother, originally from Bogotá, Colombia, was also an educator and counselor in those districts. I was raised bilingual in Spanish and English, and we often traveled to Colombia to stay connected with our roots and family.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in Bilingual/Multicultural Education through NAU-Yuma and began my career teaching 4th grade at Gadsden Elementary School. I later pursued my Master’s in Clinical Speech-Language Pathology through NAU’s Summer Track program from 2009 to 2012. Professionally, I’ve worked at Saguaro Speech Therapy Clinic in Yuma (2009–2014), serving clients across the lifespan, and in the Crane Elementary School District (2014–2025), supporting students from preschool through sixth grade.
In my free time, I enjoy traveling with my family, playing games, dancing salsa, taking photos, and trying foods from different cultures. My children have participated in various sports, so we spend a lot of time at practice and games in the evenings and at weekends.
3. What made you want to become a speech-language pathologist?
While I loved teaching 4th grade, I was introduced to NAU’s master’s program in speech-language pathology through my school district and was immediately intrigued. The idea of continuing to work with children in a more focused, individualized setting to support their communication skills resonated with me. I had students receiving speech services in my classroom, and I became deeply interested in how I could further help this population.
As someone who grew up bilingual, I also saw the importance of preserving and valuing students’ home languages and cultures while supporting their development in English. This perspective has been essential in working with diverse student populations. Additionally, my oldest niece was born with Down syndrome, and from early on, I was drawn to finding ways to support her communication and help guide our family through that journey. All these experiences led me to pursue this incredibly rewarding profession.
4. What drew you to Yuma, and what do you love about being part of this community so far?
Yuma has always been home to me. I was raised here, and I deeply appreciate the strong sense of community. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with supportive principals and supervisors who have guided me along the way. There’s a real sense of unity here, people come together to help each other in times of need.
While the summer heat can be challenging, the rest of the year offers great weather for outdoor activities, which my family and I enjoy especially during our children’s sports seasons. Yuma’s location is also ideal, just 30 minutes from the Mexico border and a few hours from Phoenix or San Diego, making day trips and weekend getaways easy and enjoyable.
5. How do you hope to shape the future of speech-language pathology education in Yuma?
My goal is to help grow and strengthen the speech-language pathology program here in Yuma and in nearby communities. One key focus is fostering stronger collaborations between local school districts and medical facilities. I plan to organize informational sessions for schools and community health events to promote our program and raise awareness of the field.
For students pursuing their Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) license, I aim to guide them through NAU’s SLPA certificate program and connect graduate students with local agencies for their practicum and externship placements. Having worked in both clinical and school settings, I’ve witnessed the high demand for qualified SLPs and SLPAs. I hope that by building these relationships and expanding local opportunities, we can better meet the needs of both children and adults in our community.
6. What opportunities do you see for students here—both in the classroom and out in the community?
Students in the Yuma Summer Track program benefit from smaller class sizes, which encourages close collaboration and personalized learning within each cohort, currently ranging from 5 to 14 students. Many NAU professors travel to Yuma to teach in person for at least a portion of the summer, providing hands-on instruction and consistent feedback, which enhances the learning experience during Zoom based coursework.
Our program draws students from Yuma, Tucson, Phoenix, and Southern California, offering diverse perspectives and networking opportunities. This geographic range also opens more options for practicum and externship placements across a variety of settings.
7. What kinds of community partnerships or clinical experiences are you excited to develop in Yuma?
I’m excited to explore and expand our community partnerships in speech and language services. By collaborating with local clinics, hospitals, schools, home health companies, and skilled nursing facilities, we hope to offer a broader range of clinical experiences for our graduate students. These partnerships will not only enrich student learning but also help address the ongoing service needs in our community.
8. What’s one thing you’d like the community to know about speech-language pathology and why it matters?
One important thing I’d like the community to know is that speech-language pathology is a diverse and impactful field that supports individuals across the lifespan—from infancy to older adulthood. Our work addresses a wide range of needs, including articulation and phonology, receptive and expressive language, feeding and swallowing, fluency, voice, cognitive communication, social skills, and the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). These services are essential in helping individuals improve their ability to communicate effectively, safely consume food and liquids, express themselves, and participate more fully in daily life. Effective communication enhances confidence, independence, and quality of life.
I’m especially proud to share that NAU is launching a new Graduate Certificate in Culturally Responsive Practice in Speech-Language Pathology starting this Fall. This program is designed to train both current graduate students and practicing clinicians to work more effectively with individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Given the multicultural makeup of the Yuma region, this will prepare SLPs to better serve our community by providing equitable, culturally competent care ensuring all individuals have access to high-quality communication services that respect and reflect their cultural and linguistic backgrounds.