Lloyd Holms, President,, De Anza College (the College, 4th President)
Joined from being VP of Student Services at Monroe Community College, in Rochester, NY. Became President. Of De Anza In June. Check out the full video here.
His last speech to a Rotary club was in1986. He was speaking as Student of the Month, named by his school in Mississippi.
De Anza is one of the greatest institutions of higher learning in the country. He is a member of the League for Renovation of Community Colleges.
He is proud to have reached the point where he is President of one of the finest colleges in the country. But he says this is not about him—he sees himself as a someone with responsibility to instill hope in a community that is facing so many challenges—Covid, economic distress and food and housing insecurity. Leaders are required to inspire others to act. He cites a song by Jay Moss: no matter who or what you are—use your gifts in service to others.
He looks forward very mush to his relationship with Rotary and the community at large!
He cited Mark Twain: the two most important days in your life are the day that you are born, and the day you find out why. He has found his purpose here, dedicated to student success. He spoke about his background, and the many challenges he faced. It was an inspiring speech, click more to read more of what he said.
He grew up in Mississippi, raised by a single parent. His father was killed when he was 9 months old and his brother was 26 months old in a shooting accident. His mother had a severe speech impediment, which limited her opportunities to work outside the home. She wanted to be home to raise her children to the point they were able to stay on their own. The family was supported by welfare payments and WIC food supplements. His mother was an amazing seamstress and made most of her son’s clothes. She pushed her children to excel in whatever they did. Lloyd by high school was in several clubs, a trombone player and church pianist for several congregations. He graduated third in his class, and went to a community college to study architecture. His first courses were all physics, but he was earning only “B’s” in physics. So he switched to Accounting and became an A student. Having completed his Community College degree, he went to the University of Mississippi to complete his degree in Accountancy. He experienced a lot of racism and rejection by white students. This was in 1990. But he persisted there, and earned his Bachelors, Masters and PhD at the University. He saw this as the fruit of his dedication and persistence.
