Meet Our team

 Savannah (Sav) is a third-year doctoral student in the University of South Carolina’s Clinical-Community Psychology Program under the mentorship of Dr. Michelle P. Brown. Before entering her doctoral program, she obtained her B.S. in psychology from Florida State University and M.S. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In her M.S. program she completed a comprehensive Master Thesis project titled, “The Role of Shame in the Relationships among Childhood Maltreatment, Fears of Evaluation, and Associated Submissive Behaviors” under the mentorship of Dr. Ashley N. Howell. As a part of UofSC’s doctoral externship program Sav is currently a funded Mental Health Professional at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice where she conducts community evaluations for adolescents entering and currently involved in the juvenile justice system. For her clinical prospects, she enjoys delivering interventions and assessments for youth to young adults and has a special interest in socially anxious and maltreated populations. For her research, Sav considers her research to focus on defining and understanding the mechanisms of shame experiences for maltreated vs. non-maltreated youth regarding social interactions and distress tolerance. For her future career, Sav hopes to deliver interventions and assessments to vulnerable populations, especially those involved in the juvenile justice department. 

 Jameka Donkor is a Master’s student in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina. Her interests lie at the intersection of psychology and the justice system, with a focus on trauma, mental health, and youth development. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, where she hopes to integrate research and clinical practice to better serve individuals affected by trauma and involvement in the justice system. Outside of school, Jameka enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and engaging in community-based initiatives.   

Ollie Ritchey is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical-Community Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of South Carolina. Prior to beginning her Ph.D., Ollie attended the College of William & Mary, where she earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Public Health. She completed her post-baccalaureate training as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Center for Biobehavioral Health within Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where she examined the social and emotional outcomes of children with critical congenital heart defects and co-designed interventions for caregivers of young childhood cancer survivors. 

Ollie’s research interests center on understanding the development of adaptive emotion regulation and coping skills in youth who have experienced maltreatment, and on identifying how environmental factors—such as peer and family relationships—can be leveraged to promote resiliency and empower maltreated youth and their families. Through her doctoral training and career, Ollie hopes to prioritize advocacy, policy-related efforts, and community-engaged intervention approaches that benefit youth, families, and communities.