Congratulations to April Yorke who successfully defended her dissertation on Thursday, March 2, 2017. Her dissertation research, examining the effect of explicit instruction in letter-sound correspondences with children with complex communication needs ( working in pairs with peers), is a much needed investigation of an important topic. April has already accepted a faculty position at Cleveland State University, where she has begun her work impacting the next generation of SLPs. Congratulations, April! April is pictured with her Dissertation Chair, Dr. Janice Light, and committee members Drs. Carole Miller, Kathy Drager, and David McNaughton.