“Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Michon Benson came to WALIPP in August of 2010 with 17 years of secondary and college-level teaching experience and a rich background in non-profit arts education administration. Born and raised in Houston’s Third Ward community, she is a graduate of Jack Yates High School.

After earning her Bachelor of Arts in sculpture from the University of Texas at Austin, she received her secondary teaching certifications in English and Fine Arts and returned to her high-school alma mater to teach pre-Advanced Placement 9th – 12th grade English.

In 1996, she earned her Master’s degree in English from Texas Southern University and, for a brief time, worked as a graduate instructor at that university. In 1999 Michon was admitted into the Doctoral program at Rice University, and earned her Ph.D. in English in Fall 2007. Her areas of interest are Youth Cultural Studies and African American Literature. Education matters to Dr. Benson. Academic excellence is her yardstick, and WALIPP is undergoing positive changes with her at the helm.