Debbie House

Debbie House (M.T.’94) considers Virginia Commonwealth University a special place. It’s where she trained to be a teacher, and Richmond is where she met her husband, Todd.

In 2013, Debbie gave $1,000 to the VCU School of Education’s Annual Fund to support the master of teaching program and help prepare future leaders in education, just as she had been. Debbie and Todd were both interested in philanthropy and began to discuss another gift to VCU.

The couple wanted to help address a growing critical shortage of teachers willing to work in hard-to-staff schools or urban environments. In 2015, they established the Debbie and Todd House Urban Education Scholarship in Math and Science in the School of Education with a $25,000 donation. The scholarship supports meritorious students with financial need and a desire to teach secondary education in science and math in hard-to-staff schools.

“There is a tremendous need for these teachers, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. It’s important to make it easier for those who teach in these areas to get that education. I’m happy to do what I can,” Debbie said. “It’s important to give back to the places that shaped me and who I am. The faculty at VCU was excellent. I have the ability to think more broadly because of that experience. My husband and I really want to pay it forward somehow. I love the idea of investing in the future.”