A conversation with Suzanne Scott, San Antonio ISD Alumni, Highlands High School
Where did you attend high school?
I went to Highlands High School.
So you grew up in the South Side?
I did, I grew up near McCreeless mall. I went to elementary school at Charles C Ball Elementary School and then I went to Connell Middle School.
Do you believe that education impacted your life in a way that was positive that helped lead you to where you are now?
Absolutely! Of course, because I went to school in the South Side and now my job has me working particularly on the river and of course the South Side Mission Reach, it has been a big part of what we have accomplished. I think because I have that familiarity, love and affinity for our neighborhoods, it really brings a whole new level of attention, it’s not only my job, but it is my passion to make sure the future is bright for the people that live here and that includes kids, adults and everybody.
So what would you say to a parent that is thinking of bringing their kids into the district?
I’m going to be honest with you, when I was going through the school district, it was struggling. Now we’re getting back to that point where SAISD is at a differnt caliber, and people seeing that it is a place where they want their children to go. For a while, people felt that it was unfortunate that they lived in the SAISD district, I had generations after me, say that. Because then they would say to me “Oh you went to Highlands” a lot of times people would say to me “Oh you mean Heights?!” and I would say “No, No, No”. That was because that had such a negative brand for a while. But I think that’s changing, because now, reading the newspaper I see the things that have now transformed back into what I knew and what made me so proud of Highlands. The quality of the education, the teachers, the students, extracurricular activities, I see so many great things coming out of that school. I see the future very bright for Highlands and the district, because of the focus on making sure that our inner-city school districts are getting the attention that they need.
Did you venture out of the city to attend college?
Yes, I went to Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. Then I came back, worked, and then got my masters at Trinity University
Do you think leaving and coming back impacted your career trajectory to where you are now?
Absolutely, I always wanted to come back to San Antonio. One thing I see is that a lot of people don’t (want to come back) they get an education here and then want to leave as fast as they possibly can. I think that it is very important to lay an educational foundation that encourages students to come back to San Antonio. They may choose to leave, and get that experience of being in another city, and then bring that back here, what they may have loved about where they went, they might bring that back here and see what we can do to improve our community. It can’t come from anybody other than those who love our community, when you bring that love back, it has more impact, and the exponential investment (into the community) is so much greater, because it is now coming from a perspective of loving our community and wanting to make it better, and continue to make it that shining beaker that we all want to be part of. That’s what I think, if people leave, they should use those experiences back here, which can only make our community better.
Suzanne Scott
General Manager
San Antonio River Authority