Austin Community College District (ACC) Chancellor, Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, recently took some time during the bustling South by Southwest (SXSW) festival to sit with Roadtrip Nation, a non-profit focused on imparting educational wisdom through media. The interview, which transpired during the SXSW EDU conference last March, became a platform for Dr. Lowery-Hart to converse with students about their unique life paths and experiences in carving out their careers.

Dr. Lowery-Hart discusses alternative postsecondary options that often go unnoticed or underappreciated in a society where the traditional trajectory follows the high school-to-university pipeline. According to an ACC newsroom, the Chancellor admitted, “I accepted that I needed to go to a university straight out of high school— at the time, I didn’t realize that other postsecondary options were available.” His candid reflection on personal preconceptions adds context to a broader narrative on the education pathways available to young people.

With Dr. Lowery-Hart's openness about his early life decisions and the road that led him to his role at ACC, the hope is that the students and Roadtrip Nation audience will glean that life's path is seldom straight but rather an intricate network of roads to be navigated with both purpose and openness to change. The full interview delves into the diverse experiences that shape our professional lives, emphasizing the value hidden within each detour and unexpected turn. Check out the full video here.