By Leslie Fuentes
On Wednesday, Dr. Ruth Simmons, former president of Prairie View A&M University, Brown University, and Smith College, visited West Lake Middle School to speak with 6th through 8th grade AVID students.
Dr. Simmons shared her personal journey with students, reflecting on her experiences attending segregated schools in Houston, growing up as the youngest of 12 children in a low-income household, and how she discovered a sense of belonging in the classroom.
West Lake’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program introduces students to academic skills, including organization, collaboration, public speaking, and self-advocacy, while exposing them to college and career pathways.
“She has such a worldly perspective and diverse experiences at different colleges, which I think is something our AVID students needed to hear,” said Lynsey Thrower, AVID Coordinator at West Lake Middle School. “Our students spend a lot of time researching different colleges, and hearing from someone with her background was invaluable.”
Dr. Simmons spoke about her path to becoming a President’s Distinguished Fellow at Rice University and Senior Adviser to the President of Harvard. She also reflected on her tenure as President of Smith College, the nation’s largest women’s college, where she launched the first engineering program at an American women’s college.
Throughout her speech, she encouraged students to embrace education without limitations. She advised them not to worry about the prestige of the college they attend but rather to focus on any opportunities for learning and growth.
“Their ability to follow their goals later on is often built on what they’re doing in the lower grades,” Dr. Simmons said. “I wanted to share with them that if they are serious about learning and pursuing every opportunity to grow, then they can become whoever they want to be.”
During her talk, she urged students not to let their backgrounds define their futures.
“I wanted to convey that my family was desperately poor growing up, but I also wanted to impress upon them how little that matters today,” she said. “They have to be able to imagine a future that looks different from their present.”
Dr. Simmons also spoke about her 2023 National Humanities Medal, awarded by President Joe Biden, emphasizing that her journey—from a segregated Houston neighborhood to receiving one of the highest honors in the humanities—was made possible through education.
“Our students got to see and hear from someone who looks like them, but the stories she shared today apply to everyone,” Dr. Washington said. “I know at least one student in that crowd was listening deeply and will carry her words with them long after high school. Our goal is to keep asking, ‘Who else can we bring in to speak to our students that will inspire our students and help them prepare for college and beyond?’”
