Student Profiles - University of Houston
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Mahnoor Ahmad 

Hello! My name is Mahnoor Ahmad and I am a first-year student in the UH School Psychology doctoral program. Previously, I completed my B.D. in psychology with my minors of human development & family sciences and quantitative social sciences at the University of Houston (go coogs!). I then went on to complete my Masters in teaching at the University of Houston Clear-Lake. Clearly, I love Houston and UH so much that I came back for my doctorate here. I am so passionate about research and the field of school psychology. My advisor is Dr. Bradley Smith and my research interests lie within identity development in the South Asian-American population, and risk and resilience factors that affect their mental health and academic outcomes. I am specifically interested in mindfulness, spirituality/religiosity, substance use, familial closeness, and parental-child relations. If you have any questions about the program or the work that we do in Dr. Smith's lab, feel free to email me at mahmad26@cougarnet.uh.edu!

Steve Alsarraf

Hello there! I'm Steve Alsarraf, and I'm currently in my first year of the UH school psychology Ph.D. program. I recently earned my B.S. in psychology from the College of Charleston in December 2022. My background is quite diverse, as I am half British and half Middle Eastern, originally from the quaint English town of Halifax and the vibrant city of Baghdad in Iraq. Despite my international roots, I've spent almost half of my life in the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina.

In my academic journey, I'm fortunate to be working under the guidance of Dr. Jorge Gonzalez as my advisor. My research interests revolve around several exciting areas, including the impact of mindfulness on well-being and positivity, the role of motivational interviewing and self-efficacy in youth development, and strategies for promoting literacy development among dual language learners. I'm also passionate about harnessing bilingualism as a catalyst for positive change within Arabic communities.

Outside of my academic pursuits, I cherish my free time spent with family and friends. I'm an avid traveler who loves exploring new places, and I have a deep appreciation for music, cooking, and staying active through regular workouts. Transitioning to life in Houston has been a fantastic experience, as the big city offers a wide range of delights, from delicious food to wonderful people.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me at salsarra@cougarnet.uh.edu if you'd like to connect or have any questions.

Katherine Avila

Hello! My name is Katherine Avila, and I am a second-year student in our UH School Psychology doctoral program. I graduated from Wellesley College in May 2022 with a B.A. in neuroscience and a minor in teaching and learning studies. I am currently in my school practicum at Hempstead ISD. My advisor is Dr. Jorge Gonzalez, and my research interests involve children’s socio-emotional and behavioral functioning of Latine students through the lens of parent involvement. I am also passionate about supporting immigrant communities, more specifically the newcomer students. Some of my favorite pastimes include hanging out with family and friends, watching videos/series, and biking. Feel free to reach me at kgavila@uh.edu!

Mycah Ayala-Brittain

Hi! My name is Mycah, and I am a sixth-year student in our school psychology program. I graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2018 with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in child development. During my time in the program, I have completed practicums in Katy ISD, Hempstead ISD (LSSP Internship), Texas Children’s Hospital Preschool Program and Texas Children’s Health Plan Center for Children and Women (Greenspoint). I am currently living in Philly and completing my pre-doctoral internship at Nemours Children's Health on the Integrated Behavioral Health track!

I am very passionate about cross-system collaboration between medical and school settings and advocating for school psychologists in the field of pediatric psychology. Clinically, I enjoy working on multidisciplinary teams to provide services to young children with comorbid behavioral health needs and complex health conditions. My research interests broadly focus on strengthening collaborations between medical, school, and family systems to promote continuity of care. Specifically, my dissertation project explores the role of primary care in the identification and treatment of children with autism and related medical conditions and identifying areas of support when discussing school-based services in primary care. I am originally from sunny San Diego and love everything that involves my family (including my pups Luna and Leia), Halloween, good vegetarian/ GF food and being near the ocean! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me at mayala7@cougarnet.uh.edu!

Jalen Blocker

My name is Jalen Blocker. I am a second-year student in the School Psychology doctoral program. I received my B.S. in psychology with minor coursework in education from the illustrious Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. I am interested in understanding family-school partnerships. Specifically, I seek to work with Black families to examine the social facilitators and barriers to parental engagement in their child's education and how parental engagement can influence the oral language and reading literacy of their student(s). Understanding the cultural differences between Black families, I also seek to examine the forms that parental engagement can take. Before coming to UH, I was very involved in mentorship and social justice and equity campaigns, pushing for community involvement in local and state politics. Outside of school, I enjoy watching television, making pottery, going on nature walks and trying out new recipes. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. jblocke2@cougarnet.uh.edu

Jeff Carter

Hello! My name is Jeff Carter (He/Him), and I am a first-year student in the UH School Psychology program. I graduated from Butler University in May 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology. I am from a small suburb outside of Chicago, IL. My advisor is Dr. Bradley Smith, and my research interests include examining general wellbeing in relation to various mental health diagnoses and investigating the effect of nature and outdoor environments on wellbeing and mental health. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my Labrador, reading fiction books, weightlifting, and horticulture! Feel free to reach out to me via email at jcarte20@cougarnet.uh.edu!

Nayoung Choi

Hello! My name is Nayougn Choi, and I joined the program in 2017. I received my B.A. in English education from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea, and M.A. in second language studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Before joining this program, I worked as an English language teacher/instructor for five-and-a-half years in Seoul and Honolulu, Hawaii. I am currently completing my advanced practicum at the Texas Children’s Health Plan Center for Children and Women, and I have previously completed two years of school-based/LLSP practicums at Katy ISD and Galena Park ISD. Broadly speaking, I am interested in supporting children’s socio-emotional and behavioral functioning at an individual as well as at a system’s level (e.g., parent management training) and cultural sensitivity/diversity issues in research as well as in clinical practices in psychology. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, exploring local places and watching movies. I can be reached at nchoi3@uh.edu.

Brian Dang

Hello! My name is Brian Dang and I'm a fourth year student. I work with Dr. Smith to evaluate student outcomes for different outdoor summer programs. We are particularly interested in positive youth development and student well-being. In my free time I read enjoy petting my cats, climbing rocks, and playing music. Feel free to email me at bddang2@cougarnet.uh.edu.

Fre’Dasia Daniels

Hello! My name is Fre’Dasia Daniels, and I am a fourth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program. I graduated from the University of North Texas in May 2020 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in Spanish and human development and family science. My research interests include non-academic protective and risk factors that impact educational outcomes for socioeconomically and culturally diverse students. I am also interested in factors that encourage and discourage parents from enrolling their child in treatment and services. My advisor is Dr. Sarah Mire, and I’m super excited to be a part of the UH *sparc lab and ASD4ASD! In my free time, I enjoy geeking out over all things Doctor Who and Star Trek, powerlifting and eating good food! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at fmdaniel@cougarnet.uh.edu!

Brenda Duran

Hello! My name is Brenda Duran, and I am a third-year student in the school psychology doctoral program. I graduated from the University of Houston (Go Coogs!) in December 2018 with a B.S. in psychology with minors in human development and family studies and management. My research interests include examining the effects that family and school systems have in the overall mental health and health-related outcomes in pediatric patients with chronic illnesses and neurodevelopmental disorders with a specific focus in Hispanic youth. My hope is to be able to address the stigmatization around mental health care in minoritized communities and its subsequent health disparities. Last year I completed my school psychology practicum at Sheldon ISD and this year I am completing my LSSP internship at Cy-Fair ISD. In my free time, I love to run and indoor cycle, grab coffee at any time of the day and spend time with my family and friends. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at brendaduran010@gmail.com! 

Adam Garcia

Howdy! My name is Adam Garcia, and I am a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the school psychology program. I graduated from Texas A&M University (Gig ’em, Aggies!) in May 2020 with a B.S. in psychology, minor in business and certificate in healthy development. My advisor is Dr. Bradley Smith, and my research interest broadly centers around the role of faith-based organizations as a support for children’s and families’ mental health needs. I am also interested in furthering understandings of religion and spirituality as understudied aspects of diversity. I previously worked with Dr. Sarah Mire on my candidacy project that examined spiritual causal attributions made by parents of children with autism. I have also previously worked with Dr. Julie Dunsmore and her Social Development Lab on a few studies on emotion coaching and other emotion socialization processes. Clinically, I have completed a practicum with Katy ISD and my LSSP Internship at Hempstead ISD. I am currently at the Center for Women and Children in Greenspoint where I assist with providing brief assessments, individual therapy, and family therapy. Outside of school, I love playing chess and ultimate frisbee, though I am admittedly mediocre at both. If you are interested in school psychology or have any questions, feel free to email me at  acgarc29@cougarnet.uh.edu. Go Coogs!

Amanda Hut

Hello! My name is Amanda Hut, and I am a fourth-year student in the School Psychology Ph.D. program. I graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in December 2019 with a B.S. in psychology. My research interests include academic writing skills among children and adolescents with ASD. Specifically, I am interested in examining pre-service teachers’ beliefs in their ability to effectively provide writing instruction to children with ASD. I completed my school psychology practicum at KIPP Texas-Houston during my second year and recently completed my LSSP internship at Hempstead ISD. I am currently completing my advanced practicum at Texas Children’s Hospital Autism Center – Assessment Track. In my spare time, I enjoy trying local coffee shops and spending time with my family and friends. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at  arhut@uh.edu!

Emily Jellinek

Hi, everyone! I’m Emily, a sixth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program. I’m originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I recently graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in psychology. My research interests include systemic approaches to intervention for children with ASD, such as teacher, family and parent factors that influence intervention and services for children with ASD. I am also interested in school readiness and parent training for children with ASD. My candidacy project specifically focuses on examining pre-service teacher training to work with children with ASD during the transition from preschool to kindergarten. I am a member of UH *sparc, ASD4ASD and PASS lab, where I have contributed to several conference presentations and posters, as well as manuscripts. 

I completed my school psychology practicum experience at Galena Park ISD. I am currently doing my advanced practicum at The Harris Center STARS clinic. I am also an RA for PASS lab on an IES grant, where we are investigating whether computer-based scoring of children’s writing samples is effective. I am also starting as a research coordinator/therapist at Baylor College of Medicine. There I will help deliver CBT via telehealth for youth with ASD and comorbid anxiety as well as assisting in content development for an online CBT intervention for children with ASD and anxiety. In my free time, I love to run at Buffalo Bayou park, do yoga, paint and be a mom to my adorable kitten, Dobby. If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to email me at ejellinek@uh.edu.

Nema Kebbeh 

Hello! My name is Nema Kebbeh. I am a second-year student in the School Psychology program. I graduated with a B.A. at the University of Detroit Mercy in developmental psychology. My research interests are broad in child and adolescent development, with a particular emphasis on (a) how emotional regulation influences that growth; (b) how affect and self-control influence peer affiliation dynamics; and (c) how culture and interpersonal relationships contribute to and are influenced by social-emotional development. In my spare time, I like to make digital art, go on nature walks, explore new places and watch movies. Please reach out to me at nkebbeh@cougarnet.uh.edu

Kelli Lahman

Kelli Lahman is a second-year student in the Ph.D. school psychology program at the University of Houston. She graduated with a Honors Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Arlington in May 2017. After spending a year serving low-income and racially diverse children in public schools, she obtained her license as a specialist in school psychology (LSSP) and certification as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) in May 2022 after graduating from Texas A&M University-Commerce. At the University of Houston, Kelli is a teaching assistant for the College of Education's assessment courses, in which she mentors graduate students in cognitive and achievement assessment administration and interpretation. She is currently completing an advanced practicum in the Forensic Unit at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, providing assessment of children and adolescents who are in the juvenile justice system to determine placement and treatment recommendations pre- or post-adjudication. Kelli is also a student member on the National Association of School Psychologist's Communiqué Editorial Board, on which she serves as the publications coordinator for the Student Connections Column. Her research interests include evidence-based assessment and interventions focusing on disruptive behavior disorders, personality traits in children and adolescents, investigating pathological personality traits as transdiagnostic markers and their unique manifestation across individuals, manifestation determination reviews, supervision and mentorship, statistical analyses, and developing innovative methods of evaluation. Kelli plans to pursue a career in academia following graduation. She can be reached at krlahman@cougarnet.uh.edu

Anna Laakman

Hello! My name is Anna Laakman, and I’m a fifth-year student in the school psychology Ph.D. program. I am originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, but I moved to Houston from Southern California, where I worked at the Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the University of California-Irvine as the education and training director. My B.A. is in communication and sociology from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. I have a master’s degree in special education with a focus in autism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Before starting this program, I worked at the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders on the Simons Simplex Collection and at Texas Children’s Hospital on the Simons Variation in Individuals Project. I’ve done practicum rotations in Katy ISD, the Center for Children and Women in Greenspoint and at Texas Children’s Hospital in Pediatric Psychology. I’m involved in research on campus and at Baylor College of Medicine in Dr. Eric Storch’s Lab. My research focuses on adolescent camouflaging behavior and ASD and factors that contribute to camouflaging. My advisor is Dr. Milena Keller-Margulis. Feel free to reach out at allaakma@central.uh.edu if you have any questions about the program!

Elias Loria

Hello! My name is Elias Loria, and I am a fifth-year student, advised by Dr. Keller-Margulis. I am originally from Costa Rica. I graduated from University of the Ozarks with a B.S in psychology and B.A in marketing in May 2018. During my time in the program, I have completed practicums in Galena Park ISD, the UH Charter School, Texas Children’s Health Plan Center for Children and Women, and Texas Children’s Hospital Psychology Service at the Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics and Autism. I am currently completing my doctoral internship in Behavioral Psychology at Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) in their Pediatrics Developmental Disabilities track in Baltimore, Maryland. My candidacy project investigates the technical features of a Spanish scoring system for written expression curriculum-based measurement. My dissertation focuses on understanding the multicultural competence of doctoral psychology students to work with LGBTQ+ patients. Additionally, I am interested in understanding cultural factors in the assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder, particularly for Spanish-speaking families. In my spare time, I enjoy weightlifting, watching television shows, baking, cooking, listening to Taylor Swift and playing with my cat, Link.

My-Linh Luu

Hi there! My name is My-Linh Luu, and I am a fourth-year student in UH’s School Psychology doctoral program. My B.S is in child development (child life) from Texas Woman’s University in Denton. I have a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in applied behavior analysis from Arizona State University. I am also actively involved with the Kochel Lab for Clinical Autism Research at Texas Children’s Hospital Autism Center. My research interests broadly surround pediatric psychology and systemic approaches to behavioral interventions. In my spare time, I enjoy being a plant mom, interior designing and never skipping leg day. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions: mylinh.n.luu@gmail.com.

Marianna Messerli

Hello! My name is Marianna Messerli, and I’m a second-year doctoral student in the school psychology program. I graduated from Northwestern University in 2016 before pursuing an M.Ed. in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri and an M.A. in special education from American University. As both a former ECE teacher and student clinician at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, I recognize the importance of effective communication between schools, families, and medical providers. As such, I am interested in integrated care and interdisciplinary collaboration to better support children with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or behavioral/emotional disorders. My advisor is Dr. Jorge Gonzalez, and my research interests include early identification and intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social emotional development in children with ASD, and the overlap of trauma and ASD. I recently joined the ASD4ASD research team with Dr. Milena Keller-Margulis and Dr. Sarah Mire and am looking forward to my time in the program. In my free time, I enjoy cooking/baking, binging true crime podcasts and snuggling with my dog, Dorian. Please feel free to contact me at mcmesse2@cougarnet.uh.edu!

Caroline Mousa

Hello! I am currently in my 4th year of the program. I graduated in May 2020 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in creative work from The Honors College at the University of Houston. My research interests include using mindfulness interventions to improve well-being, particularly for marginalized populations. I have been involved in Dr. Bradley Smith’s Mindfulness, Well-being, and Spirituality Lab since 2018, and I am currently the Primary Investigator of our main study—the Mindful Ambassador Program (MAP). I am currently working on my candidacy study where I am investigating various delivery formats (in-person vs. online) of the MAP. I am also a research assistant for a local non-profit, LEAD, which supports marginalized youth through social-emotional learning and experiences.

I completed my school psychology practicum at multiple KIPP schools across Houston, my LSSP internship at Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, and am currently at the Children’s Assessment Center for my advanced practicum placement. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, traveling, music, creating art and trying new coffee shops. I love Houston, I love our program, and I love UH! You can reach me at  cmousa@uh.edu with any questions or interest in our program.

Stephanie Navarro

My name is Stephanie Navarro (she/her). I am a 3rd year doctoral student in the school psychology graduate program. I am originally from the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), where I obtained my B.S. in psychology and minor in addiction studies at the University of Texas RGV in 2019. Before joining the program, I worked in a multi-disciplinary private mental health office that was dedicated in providing and promoting mental health services to the RGV community. It was in my hometown where my research interests in Latino-a child development developed. I’m specifically interested in examining familial and cultural influences on children’s social-emotional development. Recently, I completed my school psychology practicum experience at Katy ISD. Currently, I am doing my LSSP internship at Spring Branch ISD. In addition, I am an RA for Dr. Keller-Margulis’ PASS lab and Dr. Dunsmore’s Social Development Lab. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my cat, Luna, and talking on the phone with my loved ones. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions – snavarr6@cougarnet.uh.edu

Syed Rizvi

Hey, my name is Syed Rizvi, and I am in the seventh year of the UH school psychology program. I am from New York City and am a first-generation college graduate. I received my Bachelor of Science in psychology from UH with honors (cum laude). I have worked in a few labs researching a variety of topics from the causal effects of sleep deprivation on children’s emotions to the effects of prejudice through media. I am interested in the areas of spirituality, mindfulness and compassion and seek to work with the Muslim community in Houston to better understand a correlation between specific religious practices and better life achievement (school grades, happiness, etc.) In my free time I enjoy outdoor activities, writing, watching films and working out. I am also a writer and editor for The Muslim Vibe (online platform for Muslims) and run my own YouTube channel geared toward understanding the intersection of psychology and spirituality. You can email me at Syedarizvi134@gmail.com.

Georgina Sakyi

Hey there! My name is Georgina Sakyi, and I am a sixth-year student in the UH School Psychology program. I graduated from Texas Tech University with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Addictive Disorders and Recovery Studies. My research interests center around health disparities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for socioeconomically, culturally, and linguistically diverse (SCLD) families. My candidacy project explored whether parents’ sociodemographic factors (e.g., race/ethnicity, education, income) predicted their perceptions about their children’s ASD diagnosis or their family coping behaviors. My dissertation project has extended my candidacy to investigate (1) how parents’ perceptions about their children’s ASD and socioeconomic status influence their perceptions of completing genetic testing and (2) what are SCLD parents’ perceptions regarding research in ASD, in general, and recruitment retention efforts researchers take to improve SCLD families’ engagement ASD research.

During my time at UH, I have served as the lead research assistant of UH*sparc; I have served as a research coordinator and Standardized Patient at Baylor College of Medicine; I’ve been a research volunteer at Texas Children’s Autism Center. I’ve also completed cognitive and language skills testing for young child participants (ages 3-9) for a research project focused on social dynamics and early visual experiences of children with ASD. Finally, I’ve had the pleasure of serving on an APAGS committee, attending an advocacy workshop through NASP, and being a student representative for our program.

For practicum, I spent two years in schools, a year in a community behavioral health clinic, and a year in an integrated behavioral health clinic. Now, I’m completing internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. Altogether, my clinical experiences focus on caregiver training and other behavioral interventions for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and severe behavioral challenges.

In my free time, I enjoy running, spending time with friends, and spoiling my cat. Talking with new/prospective students is also one of my favorite things to do, so please feel free to reach out if you have any questions ( gjsakyi@gmail.com)!

Rebecca Sanchez

Hi! My name is Rebecca Sanchez, and I am a fourth-year student in the program. I am a first-generation college graduate and first-generation American. I graduated with a B.A. in psychology from Trinity University in 2019. My research interests center around the influences of the early identification and early intervention of children with autism spectrum disorder. More specifically, I’d like to improve early identification and intervention in culturally and linguistically diverse families and children. Outside of school, I enjoy watching Netflix, going to the movies and spending time with my nieces and nephews. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at rjsanch5@cougarnet.uh.edu.

Dhwani Sanghavi

Hello! My name is Dhwani Sanghavi and I am a first-year Ph.D. student in the School Psychology Program. I am an international student from Mumbai, India. I have completed my B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Mumbai, India. I have also completed a specialized Master’s (M.Sc.) in Development, Disorders and Clinical Practice from the University of York, U.K. During my time in India, I worked towards providing literacy and mental health care to students coming from underprivileged and marginalized backgrounds. My research interests, currently, involve studying the effects of mindfulness on compassion fatigue and burnout in school psychology practitioners/students and the implications of it on their practice. In my free time, I love to watch K-Dramas, explore new places, read books and sleep a lot!

Jelisa Scott

Hey there! My name is Jelisa Scott, and I am a fifth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program. I am originally from Bossier City, Louisiana, but have made Houston my home since 2011. Before beginning my doctoral journey, I became a board-certified behavior analyst, started my own behavior management consulting company, and am the host of a podcast called Be Better. My research interests include understanding how implicit biases impact educators’ disciplinary decision-making toward students at the intersections of race and disabilities. When I’m not focusing on school, I’m surviving this pandemic by watching old ’80s and ’90s movies and sitcoms, listening to music, laughing at podcasts like The Read and Gettin’ Grown, or playing with my dog.  If you have any questions about the city or my experience as a student, feel free to email me at jscott1428@gmail.com.

Angela Serrano

Hey! My name is Angela Serrano, and I am a sixth-year student. I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in psychology. I am currently completing my LSSP internship at Hempstead ISD and completed my school psychology practicum at Katy ISD. My advisor is Dr. Bradley Smith, and I am involved in the LEAD lab, providing program evaluation to the LEAD nonprofit community organization that aims to promote positive academic and behavioral outcomes of at-risk youth. 

My research interests include evaluation of preventative and intervention programs delivered in school settings for positive social, emotional, behavioral and academic outcomes for adolescents. I’m also interested in researching teacher and school personnel training and delivery of school-based interventions. My populations of interest include adolescents (especially the transitionary period from middle school to high school), at-risk and vulnerable students, and Hispanic/Latinx students. Outside of school, I enjoy playing with my dog, spending time with friends and cheering on my nephews in their little league games.

Caroline Silva

Hi! My name is Caroline Silva, and I am a sixth-year student in the School Psychology program. I received a B.S in psychology from Fordham University in New York. My research interests revolve around early literacy intervention in dual language learners, with a focus on the home literacy environment. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, working out and reading. Feel free to contact me with any questions at casilva4@uh.edu.

Kimberly Smoots

Hello, my name is Kimberly Smoots, and I am a first-generation college graduate from El Paso. I am currently a eighth-year student in the doctoral program. I received my B.A. in psychology from Texas A&M in Corpus Christi. I am bilingual, bi-ethnic and biracial. I am hoping to graduate with a focus on bilingual service delivery.

My advisor is Dr. Bradley Smith. My research interests include school-based mindfulness and cultural factors in service delivery, family-school relationships and family-focused service delivery such as parent management training. I am also generally interested in intervention research for mood, behavior, and emotional disorders and/or challenges. I am passionate about reducing mental health and/or disability stigma and hope to increase knowledge, awareness and acceptance among the families and communities.

I enjoy working in schools and have focused most of my training in this setting. I completed my school practicum in Katy ISD, my LSSP internship in Deer Park ISD and worked in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD for my advanced practicum training. In these practicums, I gained wonderful experiences doing assessments, interventions and consultation in both English and Spanish, primarily with elementary school students. Currently, I am an extern at Texas Children’s Hospital in their Brief Behavioral Intervention Program for preschoolers with behavioral challenges.

While I enjoy working in schools, I am also knowledgeable about the challenges faced by individuals and families in communities that are marginalized, and I use an equity lens to explore aspects of cultural humility with research and practice. I am currently also a HEARTspeak© (Holistically Engaging in Anti-Racist Transformation) co-facilitator with Full Circle Strategies, a consulting firm in Houston, that addresses equity and racism within organizations.

In my free time, I enjoy singing, dancing, cooking, reading, spending time with my family and friends and working out! If you have any questions about the application process or the program, you can email me at kdsmoots@uh.edu.

Mayson Spillman

Hello! My name is Mayson Spillman (she/her), and I am a first-year student in the UH School Psychology doctoral program. I graduated from the University of Kentucky (Go Cats!) with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in math! My research interests broadly revolve around early childhood interventions and implementing and translating them for low-income school districts. I am a virtual volunteer math tutor for high-need students in Lexington, KY. In my free time, I am a math tutor, and I enjoy reading, and playing with my cats. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me! mmspillm@cougarnet.uh.edu 

Samantha Tan

Hello! My name is Samantha, and I’m a sixth-year Ph.D. school psychology student. I’m originally from Singapore, an island state in Southeast Asia. I graduated from the University of York (United Kingdom) with a BSc. in psychology, completed an M.Ed. in the psychology of education at the University of Bristol (United Kingdom) and did my teacher training at the National Institute of Education (Singapore). Before pursuing my Ph.D. in school psychology, I taught at a Singapore elementary school and worked at the Singapore Ministry of Education on developing national programs and policies to raise the quality of special education in Singapore.

My interests broadly surround autism spectrum disorder, teaching English to second language learners, and the development of systems-level interventions and programs to promote inclusivity for students with special needs. With regard to clinical training, I’ve completed my school psychology practicum at Katy ISD and am now doing my advanced practicum at The Center for Children and Women (Greenspoint). Research wise, I participate in PASS lab, ASD4ASD and *sparc, and am a research assistant for a program evaluation of a community-based social skills training program for children and youth with autism. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, reading, music, Pilates and being a dog mum to my 1 ½-year-old Husky mix. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the program or living in Houston!

Catherine (Cat) Urso

Hi y’all! I began my journey in the school psychology doctoral program at UH in 2021. I am born and raised in Houston, TX and had the pleasure of living in New Orleans, Louisiana while completing my B.S. at Tulane University (Role Wave!!) with a major in public health, minor in Psychology and was pre-med.   

At UH, I am delighted to work with my advisor, Dr. Brad Smith, who heads our research lab of Mindfulness, Wellbeing, and Spirituality. My research interests are centered around mindfulness and how mindfulness practices can contribute to the reduction of mental illness symptoms, and improved wellbeing, attention, compassion, forgiveness and enhanced interpersonal relationships. I recently published my first first-author manuscript based on a yoga therapy mindfulness-based intervention I co-created at the MD Anderson Cancer Center that was provided to ICU nursing staff (Urso et al., 2022). My current research plan for candidacy and dissertation involves a yoga + social emotional learning (SEL) program offered to HISD high school students in collaboration with the Puranik Foundation.  

Along with being a leader in the Mindful Coogs student organization as the Treasurer and event co-coordinator with other members of my research lab, I am involved with the Mindful Ambassador Program (MAP) as an instructor and/or fidelity coder. I am also a yoga instructor and a DJ for the conscious community here in Houston, and one of my absolute favorite things in the world to do is to dance!! Dancing is my personal code to joy that I write home every day. I would be happy to share my experience of this program and answer any questions you may have. If you would like to connect – please reach out! My email is crurso@cougarnet.uh.edu.   

Mariana Vazquez

¡Hola! My name is Mariana, and I am part of the 2018 cohort in the UH school psychology program. I graduated from Texas A&M University in December of 2017 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in Spanish and sociology. My advisor is Dr. Jorge E. Gonzalez, and my research interests broadly surround using a cultural lens to examine the linguistic, cultural and social factors that influence Latine parents’ perceptions and experiences and Latine students’ educational and psychological outcomes. During my doctoral training, I worked as a research and teaching assistant, completed fellowships, and served as student leader in different committees and initiatives. I completed practicum rotations in Humble ISD, Katy ISD, Baylor College of Medicine OCD and Anxiety Program, and Texas Children’s Center for Children and Women in Greenspoint, where I gained valuable skills engaging in bilingual service delivery. I am currently completing my internship at Nemours Children’s Health within the Clinical Child and Community track, where I actively use my Spanish-English bilingual skills and continue learning about the challenges, needs, assets, strengths, and resiliency of the Latine community.

Kai Yagi

Hi! I’m Kai Yagi, a second-year doctoral student in the school psychology program. I originally from Japan but moved to Texas to pursue a master's degree in special education at the University of Texas at Austin. Following that, I worked as a behavior technician at an early intervention clinic and obtained my Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification. Currently, I'm undertaking my school psychology practicum at Alvin ISD.

My research interests revolve broadly around autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a specific focus on parent training and language development in young children with autism. Under the guidance of Dr. Keller-Margulis, I'm currently working on a project that examines learning loss during the pandemic among students with disabilities, using statewide testing data. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions at kuyagi@uh.edu! 

Outside Farish Hall

The School Psychology doctoral program is a member of UH's Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences department.

Program Director: Dr. Brad Smith

UH College of Education
Stephen Power Farish Hall
3657 Cullen Blvd., Room 491
Houston, TX 77204-5023

Undergraduate: coeug@uh.edu or 713-743-5000
Graduate: coegrad@central.uh.edu or 713-743-7676
General: coecomm@uh.edu or 713-743-5010

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