Education is Freedom advisors assist Desoto High School students with Dallas County Promise surveys, college applications, resumes, career advising, scholarship applications and more on April 1, 2026. A visit to an EIF scholarship awards ceremony inspired contributor Lesa Engelthaler.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
I’m a firm believer in the power of showing up. For me this means being present for the messy and the beautiful moments of someone’s life, especially for the long haul.
Recently, I attended the college scholarship award ceremony for Education is Freedom, a Dallas based nonprofit whose mission is to transform lives through college and career advisors. My friend Prentice Richmond, a former EIF scholar, was the keynote speaker, so I had a front row seat.
First-generation college applicants in Texas tripled in the last four years, from 13,000 to 43,000, creating surging demand with no corresponding surge in school-based support. Education is Freedom’s advisors are named in both the Hechinger Report and Texas Tribune as one of the few organizations filling the gap at scale in Dallas County.
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Sobered by the facts, as I looked down the aisle at the prestigious EIF front row, I wanted to learn more about what motivated event attendees to show up for the next generation. I spoke to four of them.
Bob Mong, EIF board member and former University of North Texas at Dallas president said, “Helping a student thrive usually begins with obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Wealth, life expectancy and quality of life are closely tied to this level of educational attainment. The evidence does not lie.”
Mong continued, “Improving educational equality is a life-and-death matter as far as I’m concerned. I know a lot of people don’t believe you can change the wide gulf in educational outcomes. To me that’s a cynical view. Addressing these issues with skill and heart will make a difference. And young people can tell if you believe in them.”
At age 15, Richmond was coaching basketball for 8-year-olds. Today, 20 years later, as a senior sergeant at the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Richmond is still showing up for the next generation.
“I was fortunate to have people who invested in me and seeing the impact that they had on my life inspired me to do the same for others,” Richmond said. “I learned early that leadership is not about a title. It is about consistency and being willing to help others recognize their value and potential.”
I asked Richmond what motivates him to keep showing up for kids today. “Through my career in public service and now in law enforcement, I have seen firsthand how one person who genuinely cares can completely change the direction of a young person’s life,” he said.
Susanna Russell, CEO of Education is Freedom said, “I dropped out of high school. That is not the way most people would anticipate the CEO to begin their story, but it is mine.”
What changed her life was two people who refused to let her give up. Russell said, “They offered me possibility and stayed long enough to make sure I believed it.”
Because of those mentors, Russell not only graduated high school but went on to an almost 40-year career in PreK-12 education.
In the classroom, Russell found, “A room full of young people who reminded me of myself. Students who couldn’t see the greatness God designed inside of them.”
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“Today I am blessed to lead work that brings me full circle: providing college and career advisors in Dallas County high schools, so that every senior has a champion,” Russell said.
In 2010, Brian English was Richmond’s EIF advisor at Lincoln High School. Today, as assistant professor of business administration at Dallas Baptist University, English is still empowering youth.
“I was motivated to be in this career because I don’t want anyone to miss out on God’s calling,” he said. “The more we get people to walk out their God-given purpose, the better the world will be.”
English said, “When I was younger, I didn’t pursue a passion because it was not a ‘real job.’ That is what others told me. It pained me at first, once I realized that I had let opportunities pass. The next best thing for me was to be in a position where I didn’t let that happen to others.”
Living out his purpose landed English at EIF and his continued youth focused leadership choices.
That night as I drove home from the event, I realized I had witnessed the remarkable power of multiple generations showing up, not for one night but for the long haul.
Lesa Engelthaler is a children’s author in Dallas.
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