It is every parent’s dream to see their children grow up and graduate from university.
But often do you meet a five-degree holder, topped off with a Doctorate degree or PhD?
Well, recently the Ugandan community in Dallas Fort Worth not only embraced one, they also welcomed their community’s first and youngest female PhD holder in the names of Dr Sala Nanyanzi Senkayi. It has been a long time coming for the young lady, the daughter of Dr Abu Senkayi (PhD) and Sunajeh Senkayi, having began her humble journey at Texas A&M University, with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree.
She would later pick up two other B.Sc degrees and a Master of Science degree) from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). And then came her PhD in environmental science from the same University of Texas at Arlington, for which she wrote a dissertation on “Proximity to Airport and Cancer Incidences in Texas”.
Many people will be familiar with the adage that it takes a village to raise a child; that is what many friends and well wishers of the Senkayi family said during Sala’s graduation party. The proud parents could be seen beaming with excitement as speaker after speaker, spoke about their daughter’s achievement.
Emcee Frank Sentamu, added excitement to the evening when he suggested that the two doctors should change their names to Dr Senkayi Senior and Dr Senkayi Junior as a way of separating father and daughter.
The journey that first inspired the young Sala could be traced back to her childhood. According to her father, on the day he got his PhD, Sala ran to the stage, grabbed her Dad’s hat and put it on her own head, as if to suggest that one day she would wear her own. Several years passed but Dr Abu Senkayi did not imagine ever having the pleasure of participating in the hooding process of his only daughter.
The hooding process is normally reserved for the graduate’s major professor, but in one of those rare occasions when a parent of the student is a Doctorate degree holder, the pleasure and opportunity of carrying out this exercise is often passed on to the parent, which in this case was Dr Abu Senkayi an environmental scientist himself.
Sala owes her success to the inspiration and support of her parents, and brother Ali Senkayi, an electrical engineer. She is also quick to mention the collective effort of many other community friends and relatives who encouraged her along her academic journey.
Dr Abu Senkayi, an official Buganda Kingdom representative in North America, also mentioned that Sala had been involved in planning for Buganda cultural activities in Dallas. In 2001, young as she was, Sala played a prominent role during Kabaka Ronald Mutebi’s, visit to Dallas. The same was the case when the Nnabagereka of Buganda, Sylvia Nnaginda, visited in 2005.
The Senkayi family, originally from Kibibi in Butambala, left Uganda in the 1970s and settled in the United States. They visit Uganda regularly and were here only last December, to participate in the Ugandan Diaspora conference the Serena Hotel. Dr Sala is also an active community organizer who spends time going to schools and colleges to talk about Environmental protection.
Besides her commitment to the community, Sala maintains a full time job in the same office block and department with her father, at the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Her EPA mentor proudly noted, during the evening graduation dinner, that Sala is “a very dedicated girl, who takes her job very seriously and devotes a lot of time into everything she does.”
Before Sala joined her father as an EPA employee, the father remembers bringing her to the office on special days when employees are allowed to bring their children to the office. One could say that all this gave the little girl some early inspiration to follow in her dad’s footsteps.
But when asked why she chose environmental science Sala said: “I’m not trying to follow my dad’s footsteps per se, because I like Biology and my dad is a soil scientist. But I also like my dad because he is a cool guy!”
Sala says she enjoys her work environmental protection, and her fellowship in the Ugandan community. “Getting a degree is just part of the story” she says. “Making friends, helping each other, as Ugandan community members to advance each other, is what will help us succeed here in the Diaspora.”
With her five degrees, the single Dr Sala intends to keep her job at EPA, although she could go into academia; and she still cherishes working with children on environment-related programmes.
“I can now say that I’m free at last,” she says. “I have all the time I need to live and enjoy my life.”
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