Speech Therapist Lara Bedian has worked with preschool and elementary students for the past 12 years. Now at her new campus, she’s excited to work with teens for the first time.

“I look forward to learning more about high school and finding out what it means to be a high school student in 2026,” Bedian said.

Bedian works as a speech therapist at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS.) Her job involves testing students’ speech and language skills and she works in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings. She only comes in once a week to work with students on Tuesdays. While it is a lot to cover working only one day a week, she has enjoyed it so far. During the rest of the week, Bedian works in preschools. Her job there focuses on getting younger kids the resources they need early on.

While studying psychology at UC Berkeley, Bedian realized that she wanted to combine her love of languages with her interest in psychology. This led her to study communication disorders and science during her post-baccalaureate and master’s degree at California State University Northridge (CSUN) and eventually become a speech therapist.

“I really like learning languages, just different languages overall,” Bedian said. “I learned Spanish when I was in high school and then I’ve been learning Japanese recently. I just really love languages overall and communication and then I really do like working with kids of all ages. So it’s a nice combination of those two things.”

While at DPMHS, Bedian has witnessed a kind community without unfairness toward students with speech issues. She’s noticed students interacting normally and without discrimination toward students who need help with their speech. Additionally, a smaller school provides a closer community and allows her to make more meaningful connections faster.

“It’s been great,” she said. “Everyone’s so nice and the students are mature. I’ve heard some great conversations in classrooms. I’ve been in classrooms with kids that are nonverbal and have speech impediments and everyone has been so accepting and inclusive. I haven’t seen any exclusion.”

Your donation will support the student journalists of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School and allow us to cover our annual website hosting costs.