Life is full of obstacles and challenges that impact our students in and outside of the classroom. At Portage Northern High School, the Houston Award aims to honor those students for their resilience amid adversity.
Staff gathered with students and their families Friday, Feb. 21, for the annual Houston Awards where this year's award winners told their stories of obstacles and the steps they've taken to overcome them.
The awards were created in honor of Dr. James Houston, who was born in a very poor area in rural Alabama in 1943.
Being African-America, Dr. Houston and his family faced many social obstacles such as persistent racial discrimination and Jim Crow laws. His family moved to Detroit after his dad was discharged from the military, hoping to gain a better life. They then moved once again to Dowagiac when Dr. Houston was in 9th grade to help an uncle whose wife had died and left four young children behind.
Despite these obstacles, Dr. Houston was accepted to Western Michigan University where he earned a BA, MA, and PhD in Accounting and Finance.
Dr. Houston has worked for several businesses in Southwest Michigan including, the Kellogg Corporation, International Research and Development Corporation, and First of America Bank. Since his retirement in 2000, Dr. Houston has devoted time to serving on various committees and projects in the Kalamazoo community, including substitute teaching at Portage Northern as well as helping lead the Empowerment Club. Please take a few moments to view this interview with Dr. Houston here.
The Student Senate at Portage Northern asks staff to identify seniors who, just like Dr. Houston, have overcome obstacles (or are currently overcoming obstacles) such as:
social obstacles such as race, implicit bias, or gender identity
economic challenges like poverty or homelessness
emotional obstacle such as the loss of a family member or other tragic life events
physical challenges such as a physical disability or a language barriers
