Evonya Cornelius is a speech language pathologist with over 25 years of experience in schools, hospitals, and rehab settings in the United States and the Caribbean. She is the product of the Monroe County Public School System in Rochester, NY. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Communication Disorders from Nazareth College of Rochester and Master's degree in education from Buffalo State College. She owned and operated Manner of Speaking consulting services in Southeast Florida for 12 years. Her intention is fixed on bringing an awareness of the effects of cultural bias to educators, in order to improve outcomes for all students. From New York to California, her message is a call for us all to focus on cultivating competence, compassion and connection. We talk with Evonya about the importance of empathy, some perspective shifts that can change how we approach meetings, and how language impacts our relationships with students and their families.