In an environment of academic uncertainty, this Black Houstonian sets her sites toward a life-time of high achievement. She credits supportive family, friends and a rock solid faith in God.

Courtney Sanders, accompanied by her mother Hope Sanders and History teacher, recently celebrated her fifteenth birthday and was honored on the floor of the Texas State House of Representatives. What was her accomplishment? Courtney Sanders earned first place honors in the Senior Individual Exhibit category at the Houston Independent School District’s Regional History Fair which qualified her for the state-level Texas History Day contest held at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Texas History Day is part of a National History Day observance which is a year-long educational endeavor providing students in grades six through twelve with an opportunity to hone and develop their knowledge of history and to demonstrate their understanding of various historical perspectives through group and individual projects. Each year it is estimated that approximately 20,000 Texas students participate in the contest, but only 900 students are selected to advance to the state-level competition.


Courtney Sanders is a 9th grade student at Kashmere Senior High School, a magnet school for talented and gifted students in Houston, Texas where she is an honor roll student, a peer tutor and member of the student council, KS Book Club and Leadership Team. She is shy, reserved and of pretty small physical stature but this young lady, when speaking, draws you in and commands attention with a very direct but gentle way of expression, filled with a wisdom which far transcends her tender youth. The theme for this year’s history fair was, “Triumph and Tragedy” and Courtney chose as her subject matter, Helen Keller who was a deaf and blind author, activist and lecturer who lost her sight at nineteen months old as a result of what is believed to have been scarlet fever or meningitis. Advised by Alexander Graham Bell, then working with the deaf and blind population and considered to be an expert, Helen’s parents were encouraged to seek assistance from The Perkins Institute for the Blind. The school delegated as Helen’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, 20 years old and herself blind but determined to enter Helen’s world and make an impact despite the barriers faced by Helen’s disabilities. Helen was isolated from her family as her teacher and mentor used the time to teach the unruly Helen discipline and to plat the seeds which would later develop into a veracious and insatiable thirst for language and a desire to communicate with others. Courtney said that she was inspired by the fact that Helen’s situation was indeed tragic and while she could have simply chosen to give up, she struggled through the difficulties she faced, through the pain, disappointments, misunderstandings, anger and sorrow. Courtney explained that it is often so very easy for one to look at one’s own situation and view it as impossible, but if we could all think about how Helen Keller faced her challenges and meet it with the same will, determination, gratitude and hope, “we would all be better off…”.

At a recent symposium to highlight solutions to changing the plight of Black children who are increasingly at the bottom of every standardized test taken in the state of Texas, Ron Price, Trustee, Dallas Independent School District stressed that times have changed as it relates to educating Black youth. He stressed that more must be done to address the depressed system that our youth often become lost in with respect to academic achievement. He recognized also that children are often faced with struggles they deem as insurmountable and tend to give up because they feel they have been abandoned by the educational system and at times the community. At the same symposium, Dr. Sterling Land III stated that we have to instill in children the importance of self-respect, strength of mind and character and determination even in the face of adversity. He further stressed that the only way to do this is to enter their world determined to reclaim them and make a definitive impact ourselves as opposed to leaving it to others to accomplish.

Courtney Sanders knows what it means to possess a strong will and made up mind in the face of difficulty. Courtney’s school, a predominately minority school, was just earlier designated for possible closure because of low achieving academic scores. Courtney says that some children who attend the magnet school thrive in their cluster courses but struggle academically or they thrive academically but struggle with their cluster classes. She further notes that her teachers believe that her success is due largely because she is able to master both academics and cluster course work but Courtney attributes her success to her faith in God and a support network of family, church, friends and caring teachers. She lamented the problems faced by the struggling school but stated she was hopeful that the school might soon know at time of stability as opposed to uncertainty. Courtney’s mother recalled a time when the school thrived, when there was parental involvement and there were teachers who shepherded young children through the tough, tumultuous and sometimes unpredictability of youth. She pointed out that this apparent shift in paradigm has been for children most destructive and definitely plays a role in how poorly children perform on tests and how they now more than ever tend to struggle with coping with daily life and sometimes to the point of giving up. Hope and Courtney exhort parents and those who care about children not to give up on them but to continue to push children and to expect and demand great things from them and to let them know not only that they can make it but that you will be there for them every step of the way.

Courtney is the youngest of seven children who gives back to her community by volunteering at a domestic violence shelter at which her mother Hope is director and she is also an active member of Fellowship Baptist Church. Courtney’s future goals are to complete high school and to be admitted into Oxford University located in Oxford, England where she intends to honor her mom and dad and those who have been an inspiration to her by continuing her educational success in the study of theatre and art.