HUTTO – Dr. Alexis Campbell knows first-hand that not all students get treated equally. She experienced it as a child herself, and she experienced it again as a young teacher in east Austin. Now, as principal of Ray Elementary in Hutto, she promotes equity and inclusiveness programs and strives for all students to have the same opportunities.
“I didn’t like that we weren’t advocating for all students, treating all students fairly (in Austin), and I felt that if I were to lead a school I would do better than the school I was currently at,” Campbell said.
Campbell grew up in the small town of Van Vleck, south of Houston. Even though she was a good student, she received no advice from counselors about scholarships or encouragement to take her education further.
“In a small town, it felt like there were favorites and I wasn’t one of those. I didn’t have an advocate in the school, anyone helping me. It was all just my parents,” she said.
Campbell came from humble beginnings. Her paternal grandparents picked cotton. They couldn’t pay for their children to attend college, but they wanted their kids to be better off than they were. Campbell’s father worked his way through college and together with his wife they instilled in Campbell and her three brothers the importance of furthering their education past high school.
After graduating from University of Texas, Campbell became a teacher at a Title 1 (low-income population) school in Austin. She said she was grateful to teach there as her first assignment because it solidified the importance of teachers in encouraging all students to achieve.
“Just because their parents are in jail doesn’t mean they can’t learn. Just because their mom had them when she was 14 doesn’t mean they can’t learn,” she said.
“Sometimes, kids were dealing with so much in their home lives and you had to find a way to get kids to want to learn. You had to think outside the box.”
Campbell eventually found her way to Hutto with her husband and three daughters. She was hired as assistant principal at Hutto High School, then took on the challenging task of principal at Hutto’s alternative education campus for disciplinary and special case students. While there, she started studying for her doctoral degree.
“I’ve always had this drive. It’s hard for me to be complacent. I wanted to make a bigger impact than just the classroom where I was teaching,” she said.
Campbell said many teachers don’t want to teach at an alternative campus, but she found it rewarding.
“I’ve always wanted to advocate. I want to speak up for them. I enjoyed it,” she said.
“Making sure I found ways to keep them motivated, making sure they understood to learn from their consequences. I had a 100% graduation rate while I was there.”
After four years at the alternative campus, Campbell was named principal of Ray Elementary. She received her PhD in School Improvement this past December.
She credits a network of role models along with her parents for her success.
“At the beginning I had my parents. After I graduated, I had strong females. Sheila Henry in Austin.
Brandy Baker in Hutto and Dr. (Celina) Estrada, our current superintendent. All three of them helped me.”
Campbell said for her Black History Month is about celebrating achievements and people remembering where they came from, but that where you come from should not be an excuse for where you stop.
“I’m the granddaughter of a maid and cotton picker, and I was still able to achieve. I’m hoping to inspire others that it doesn’t matter about race. It matters about being kind, helping others. When I started my PhD, I had three small kids.
I was a wife, a mom, a student and had a career. What you set your mind to you can do it. It’s achievable.
It’s hard work, but it is,” Campbell said.
“Anything is achievable.”
