With great joy and gratitude, Georgina Sakyi, a graduate of Calhoun High School in Port Lavaca, Texas, graduates with her doctoral degree in School Psychology from the University of Houston in Houston in August 2024. Sakyi grew up in both Cuero and Port Lavaca under the guidance and support of her grandparents – Johnal and Viola Holman, Lois McFadden – and her parents – Paul and Taberoha (Tab) Jackson. Growing up, Sakyi was known for her voice, performing in school and church choirs, as well as her academic accomplishments as a member of the National Junior Honor Society at Travis Middle School and the National Honor Society at Calhoun.
Graduating from high school in the top 6% of her class, Sakyi completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in addictive disorders and recovery studies from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. There, Sakyi developed a passion for working with families raising children with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. Sakyi went directly into her doctoral program at the University of Houston, where along the way she earned her master’s degree in counseling. In Houston, Sakyi had the privilege of training in public school districts, a community behavioral health pediatric feeding disorders clinic, and an integrated primary care clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital, currently the No. 3 pediatric hospital in the country.
Sakyi also became an accomplished researcher and published author of peer-reviewed articles. Her research largely centers around health disparities and other family experiences for children with developmental disabilities from socioeconomically, culturally, and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
To complete her doctoral degree, Sakyi completed residency at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. A clinician of the Neurobehavioral Unit – Outpatient and Pediatric Feeding Disorders Programs, Sakyi furthered her expertise in the application of behavioral analysis in clinical behavioral therapy through the assessment and treatment of severe behavioral challenges. Now with her dissertation successfully defended and her doctoral degree conferred, Sakyi is completing her fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital, the No. 2 pediatric hospital in the country and the official pediatric training hospital for Harvard Medical School. As a Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow for the hospital and medical school, Sakyi will be spending the next 1-2 years assessing children on interdisciplinary care teams, consulting in hospitaland community-based settings, teaching, and engaging in clinical research. These are the final steps before she becomes a licensed child psychologist!
On this long road, Sakyi lost her grandmother, Lois, and both of her parents, but she continues to be supported by her grandparents, Johnal and Viola. In fact, the night before Sakyi accepted her offer from Boston, her faith-filled talk with her grandmother gave her the confidence to make this next step in her budding career. Sakyi credits her hard work and dedication to her Christian faith planted and nurtured by her family. Join us in celebrating Georgina’s wonderful accomplishment of becoming Dr. Sakyi!
