A Close- Up Look At People Who Matter : Putting Youth on the Road to an Education

On Mother’s Day, Yasmin Delahoussaye usually gets a call from Chanda Lowhorn in Louisiana and a few other African American college students across the country.

“She’s very outgoing and very upbeat and she makes you feel comfortable,” said Lowhorn, a Tarzana native who is now a junior at Xavier University. She considers Delahoussaye and her husband, Greg, part of her extended family.

“If I have any problems, I can always call her,” Lowhorn said.

The Delahoussayes, who run Educational Student Tours out of their North Hills home, help young African American students get into historically black colleges in the East. They take 150 to 200 students on tours every year, arranging sponsors for those who cannot afford the trip, then help them make decisions and get financial aid.

“I feel if you believe in these kids, they will not let you down,” said Delahoussaye, a Pierce College administrator and one of four black women recently honored by the National Council of Negro Women in a Washington, D.C., tribute.

“She really is a credit to the community and we were proud to honor her,” said Willie Kennedy, vice president of the NCNW and a San Francisco city supervisor. Kennedy cited Delahoussaye’s success despite a childhood that included missing school and going hungry.

But throughout her youth, moving from one low-income housing project to another, Delahoussaye always found the library and came home with an armload of books. She eventually earned a master’s degree in educational psychology, and after working years as a junior high teacher and counselor, today is the articulation officer at Pierce. She makes sure that courses taken at the college will transfer to other universities.

Nine years ago, she and her husband started Educational Student Tours. Those who can afford it pay $889 for air fare, meals and hotels, but about half the students need financial help to take the trip. Last year, the Delahoussayes put $10,000 of their own money into the nonprofit venture to keep it going, she said.

One Pierce College student was living in his car when he found out about EST. With the Delahoussayes’ help, he received full financial assistance to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta and plans to become a teacher.

Delahoussaye said she has seen stark contrasts in the lives of her students as they strive for success. Some live in homes pocked with bullet holes.

Helping African American students get the chance for an education where race is not a factor opens new possibilities for them, she said. A higher proportion of students at black colleges go on to graduate school than African American students at other colleges.

The key to success, she said, is the nurturing environment of the black college. Nearly all of the students are motivated to get a college education after taking one of Delahoussaye’s tours.

“You could peel them off the ceiling when we bring them home to LAX, they’re so high,” she said.

Nominating her for the award was Betty Korengold, the parent of a former Portola Junior High student. She wondered if her modest friend would welcome the award. “I had a feeling she didn’t want the publicity,” Korengold said.

“I’m a low-key kind of person,” Delahoussaye agreed. “I usually don’t take awards. But I think the important thing is the cause is getting recognized.”