Congratulations to Shirley R. Fisher, the 21st South Central Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and a member of the Alpha Xi Omega Chapter in Dallas, on being named the 2025 Humanitarian Award Recipient in October.
Fisher’s remarkable journey began in Galveston, Texas, where, although she initially intended to study nursing at Prairie View A&M University, she pivoted to the sciences and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear physics, chemistry, and mathematics. She later obtained a Master of Education degree, specializing in counseling, guidance, and secondary education.
Inspired by her mother, a teacher, Fisher returned to Galveston and started her educational career in the Galveston Independent School District. After six years, she moved to Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District, serving as both a high school teacher and counselor. Despite facing racism as one of only two Black teachers on her campus, Fisher persevered and left a lasting legacy within the community, impacting students and families alike.
Fisher’s career flourished further when she joined the Dallas Independent School District (DISD), where she worked as a counselor at David W. Carter High School and Bryan Adams High School. Her exceptional performance led to her appointment as administrator over Counseling Services. Over her 28 years with DISD, Fisher was a trailblazer, helping countless students overcome obstacles, graduate, and pursue meaningful lives.
Throughout her career, Fisher garnered numerous accolades, including being named Counselor of the Year, Teacher of the Year, and induction into the African American Education Archives and History Program Hall of Fame in 2020. Among her achievements, she authored the influential paper “Black Women: Achievement Against the Odds,” won the Dallas ISD Counselor of the Year Award three times, and became the district’s first minority interim director of Counseling Services.
