For Kimberly Houston, college was life-changing.

As the first member in her family to graduate from college, Houston’s parents instilled in her the importance of honesty and hard work at an early age.

“Education really changed the trajectory of my life,” said Houston, who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. “A good education begins to expand your mind and thinking, and growth happens through your experiences.” 

Houston’s belief in the power of education, specifically at Delta College, inspired her to establish an endowment to fund experiences for students to learn about themselves and the world around them. 

The Kimberly R. Houston Leadership and Service-Learning Endowment will provide opportunities for students to explore career options, volunteer in their communities and travel, all while imparting the importance of civic engagement. The opportunities will focus on cultivating the skills and knowledge needed to become leaders, including creativity, self-reliance, conflict resolution, ethics, social and cultural understanding, and more. 

“My hope is that students who receive support from this endowment come away with the understanding they have the power to be change makers,” she said. “I want them to be challenged and to know that they are capable of leading and influencing.” 

In a way, the new endowment has been years in the making. Houston has more than 35 years of leadership experience in business, philanthropy and fund development. She worked for the Dow Corning Corporation in multiple positions, including president of its foundation, among other roles in the community. She also served as a Delta trustee and board chair, and was a member of the Delta College Foundation Board of Directors. 

“There is this sense of lifelong learning that’s really embedded in Delta’s culture,” Houston said. “You can see growth and learning happening to everyone, everywhere – from students and faculty to staff and even among members of the Delta College Foundation and trustees.” 

Houston said through experiences associated with the endowment, she wants students to have what she calls aha moments – sudden feelings of discovery or realization that can be transformational. 

For her, some of those inspiring moments happened through conversations with her parents and her daughters, Shelby and Aja.

“My daughter, Aja, is an artist by trade. When she graduated from college, she said, ‘Mom, you’re an artist. If you create, you’re an artist.’  That was an aha moment for me because I never considered myself to be an artist,” she said. 

“Delta students are artists too. They can take their gifts into the world to create, to serve, to lead.” 

Interested in creating an endowment or supporting scholarships at Delta College? Contact Sheryl Kiscadden at 989-686-9627  or  sherylkiscadden@delta.edu.