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News

UH student turns eyes to furthering her education

After narrow political loss Reed plans for grad school

By Jennifer Jackson
The Daily Cougar

A UH senior's strange political ride ended by the slimmest of margins in a Dec. 4 runoff election for a seat on the Alvin Community College board -- and she doesn't mind.

"I was the star of the town for a little bit, and it didn't bother me at all," Allison Reed, a 24-year-old communication disorders major, said.

Reed saw running for the board position as a way to give back to her community, but by October, she realized she didn't have enough time to campaign between 15 hours of classes and three part-time jobs.

She tried to drop out of the race then, but could not. And when the results of the November election put her in a runoff with local businessman Karlis Ercums, Reed threw herself into a month of full-force campaigning.

"It was a lot of money and a lot of work," she said, "but it was fun and it was a good experience."

Ercums ultimately claimed victory over Reed by a mere 16 votes out of the 1,500 cast. But Reed, far from discouraged, said she was thrilled by the narrow margin.

"I thought it was great," she said. "I was up against a man literally twice my age who's the CEO of his own company."

In addition, Reed said she has learned valuable lessons about what it takes to campaign. "You need a lot of people to be involved, and you have to make a lot of phone calls," she said.

Fortunately for Reed, her unique situation got attention in the Houston Chronicle and her hometown newspaper, the Alvin Sun. Her family and friends were also very supportive during her campaign, she said -- sometimes to the point of embarrassment.

"When the first article came out (in The Daily Cougar)," she said, "My friends cut it out, made copies of it and posted it all up and down the halls of the (communication disorders) department."

Reed will begin working toward a master's degree at UH after she graduates with a degree in communication disorders this summer. Although she said graduate school will put off any plans for running for political office, she hopes to try again in a few years.

She is unsure yet what office she'll pursue, but she said she wants to be involved in making decisions about education.
 

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