Born hearing, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sankey moved to Taiwan, where her parents grew up, when she was young. She enrolled in a private Chinese School after her father completed his Ph.D. at Louisiana State University (LSU). A year later, she moved back to the States, to Louisiana with her parents after becoming deaf. Sankey was brought up in mainstreamed schools until she graduated from high school, then attended RIT/NTID.

Sankey says, “Upon my arrival, I experienced a completely unexpected culture shock when I saw all the flying hands of numerous Deaf students on campus. As I progressed through my college years, I gained a new and healthy Deaf identity on my own. Soon afterwards, my identity took another step, exploring my newly discovered Asian identity as well as having met other Asian Deaf students on campus because I never had any Asian Deaf friends in my life before NTID, and learned new cultures, values, and experiences. After learning new experiences I faced with Asian Deaf students, I set an unparalleled history as I became one of the founding members of RIT Asian Deaf Club in Spring 1989. After my graduation from RIT, I was determined to contribute back to RIT/NTID from what I learned many years ago as a student. This has led me to become stronger as a Deaf person.”

She has been involved with several local Deaf organizations, such as Rochester Deaf Festival, Partners in Deaf Health, DEAF (Deaf Events Among Families) Circle (formerly Rochester Deaf Mothers Club), and Deaf Patients and Family Advisory Council at University of Rochester Medical Center, and is RIT’s Asian Deaf Club Alumni Advisor.

Sankey served on the NTID Alumni Association Board of Directors for eight years. She was involved with Rochester Deaf Film Festival, IGNITE (formerly Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf VIctims (ASADV)), National Asian Pacific Islands Deaf/KODA Youth Summer Camp (virtually) KODA & Deaf Summer Camping hosting by Metropolitan Asian Deaf Association, Rochester Deaf Awareness Week, and Girl Scouts Cookie Mom for 5 years. When not serving in all these volunteer capacities, she is an avid cyclist, enjoys traveling and being outdoors, hiking, snowshoeing, etc.

Sankey is employed by the New York States Unified Court System. She is married to Frank Sankey, also an RIT/NTID alumnus. They have two grown CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) children: a daughter Laura, who is married to Eric Balta, and a son Frank Jr, who also graduated from RIT in 2020. Most recently, she has become a proud grandma to Hudson.