After seven years of effort and determination, Brittany Pyke will receive her Specialist in School Psychology degree on Saturday from the University of Houston-Victoria.

Brittany Pyke

“This has been a long time coming,” the Richmond resident said. “I’ve had a desire to work with people and help children for a long time. Now I can finally take that step.”

Pyke was named the Spring 2025 Outstanding Graduate Student for the UHV College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. She will graduate on May 17. Jeanette Yusko of Cuero was named the Outstanding Undergraduate Student and will receive a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in Spanish.

Each semester, professors from UHV’s four colleges select outstanding students to be honored during commencement. The university will host three spring commencement ceremonies on May 17 at Faith Family Church, 2002 E. Mockingbird Lane. The first ceremony begins at 9 a.m. to celebrate graduates from the College of Education & Health Professions. The second ceremony will begin at noon to celebrate the graduates from the College of Business. The third ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. for the graduates of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and the College of Natural & Applied Science. A live stream of the ceremonies will be available at https://www.uhv.edu/commencement/.

Craig Goodman

“Brittany and Jeanette are two exceptional women who have turned a desire to help others into a new trajectory for their lives,” said Craig Goodman, interim associate dean for the UHV College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. “Their hard work and commitment to personal excellence in the pursuit of making a difference are wonderful to see. I wish them all the best as they take their next steps.”

Pyke’s journey toward earning her graduate degree began in 2011, when she moved to the Houston area from Ontario, Canada. After graduating from high school, she did two years of college before she decided to take a break to be a mom. But as her children grew up, she knew she wanted to go back to school. She went to Houston Community College and then transferred to UHV to finish her undergraduate degree. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in psychology in 2022.

“When I was getting my bachelor’s, I took a course with Dr. Elise Hendricker and learned about positive parenting,” Pyke said. “As a mom, I loved hearing how she helped parents understand their children and their children’s needs. That class changed the trajectory of my life.”

She chose to stay at UHV and earn her specialist degree because the university’s school psychology program is nationally accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists. Now, as she prepares to graduate and become a school psychologist, Pyke finished her practicum last year and recently completed her internship with Lamar Consolidated Independent School District. The district has already offered her a position for the next school year.

In addition to inspiring her new career, the faculty at UHV have been supportive when life became difficult in Pyke’s family. Last year, her son was hospitalized. When she told the faculty, they worked with her to make sure she was able to complete her coursework while still taking care of her family, Pyke said.

“The support at UHV has been incredible,” she said. “At first, I struggled getting back into higher education after being a stay-at-home mom for so long. But thanks to the faculty’s support and the online and in-person learning options, it all worked out perfectly.”

Jeanette Yusko

When Yusko was in high school, she had several ideas about what she wanted to do in her career.

“At first I thought I wanted to be a criminal investigator, then an emergency medical technician, an accountant or go into the medical field,” she said. “I finally found my calling in special education.”

While she was earning her bachelor's degree, Yusko was working full-time for the DeWitt-Lavaca Special Education Cooperative, which offers special education services to students from ages three to 21 who might be delayed in language, development, gross or fine motor skills, or is having trouble in school with academics or behaviors. At UHV, she was able to take mostly online courses, and the university was close enough to her home in Cuero for her to attend in-person when necessary.

When she was choosing her degree, she was inspired by Dr. Flores, a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology who collaborates with her employer to assess and identify services for special needs students.

“Dr. Flores was the person who helped me make the final decision to get my degree and take the next step in helping special needs students,” she said. “I told him I felt a little insecure because I would be 38 by the time I graduated. He told me, ‘You can be 38 with a degree or 38 without a degree.’ That was the final push to get me started.”

As Yusko was earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology that would prepare her to pursue a graduate degree to one day become a LSSP, she also chose to minor in Spanish to make sure she could offer bilingual services to more families in the area.

“Language barriers can hinder a family from seeking the services they need for their child,” Yusko said. “It was important for me to learn Spanish because bilingual LSSPs can be hard to find. My overall goal is to ensure families, regardless of their language, can receive help.”

Now, as she prepares to graduate on Saturday, she is grateful for the support she received along the way.

“If it wasn’t for God, my family and my employer, this wouldn’t have been possible,” she said. “They’ve helped me and supported my efforts from the beginning, leading me to this very moment.”