Putting Houston middle school students on the path for success is the focus of Prepared 4 Life, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping middle school youth succeed through extracurricular programs, and it’s a passion for Lisa Yamin Holthouse ’85.
"To me, the decision on where to put your life’s focus is common with your goals. Before anything in life, I am a mom first and put my children first," Lisa said. "It sounds trite, but the children are our future."
Lisa and her husband of five years, Michael, became involved with Prepared 4 Life through their family’s foundation and feel strongly about the organization’s mission of character building, entrepreneurship and teaching life skills at six Houston Independent School District middle schools. Michael serves as the chair of the board of directors and Lisa is the current vice chair, and they have high hopes that the Prepared 4 Life program will continue to grow and succeed in other HISD schools.
"We looked long and hard, and did a lot of research at where we could make the most impact in the lives of children," Lisa said. "Middle school kids are where we can make the most difference."
Prepared 4 Life partners with area vendors to provide gymnastics, marital arts, culinary, art, science and other after-school classes. Students, volunteers and teachers work closely together to make sure young people are interested in and will benefit from the various classes, she said.
While at St. Agnes, Lisa embraced her social justice and volunteer work, remembering how those service programs changed as Head of School Sr. Jane Meyer, O.P. ’57 came to the Academy when Lisa entered ninth grade.
"She implemented a dress code, too. Those long khaki skirts!" Lisa remembered.
Midge Wische, Dr. Charles Novo and Arthur Buckley were some of her favorite teachers. She also fondly recalls playing on the tennis team, wrapping the campus with toilet paper on the last day of school and being kicked out of the prom for wearing a men’s tuxedo with pink Converse high-top sneakers. "Sr. Stephen Ann (former dean of students) said I couldn’t wear tennis shoes," Lisa admitted.
She still keeps tabs on classmates like Ann Marie Madden Wood ’85, Kristen Van Zandt Rehel ’85, Harriet Smith Essman ’85 and Elizabeth Hudgins Tindall ’85.
After leaving St. Agnes, Lisa attended the University of Texas and graduated from the University of Houston. She was a personnel consultant and recruiter for more than 10 years before settling down to raise her family. She is the proud mom of Hudson, almost a year old, and Pia, 11, and stepmom to Lissa, 11, and Brian, 17. She also volunteers with the AIDS Foundation Houston and at River Oaks Baptist School.
"I feel very honored and privileged to be working with Prepared 4 Life and helping to make a difference in the lives of our area young people," Lisa said.
