The Faces of CSU

Diane Houston

… she can remain committed to her career and earn her degree at the same time.

Looking back, Diane Houston wishes she had started working on her degree years ago.

“If I had started when I intended to I would be working on my master's degree right now,” she said. “Now I am the first one to say, it's never too late to start!”

Houston works in the Health, Safety and Environment Department at Exterran, a natural gas compression corporation, and is currently enrolled in the bachelor's degree in business management program at CSU. Five of the seven years she has served as environmental manager, she has managed to keep her company free of any waste management penalties or fines. With CSU, Houston can remain committed to her career and secure her education at the same time.

“Working and earning a degree does not have to take over your life,” said Houston. “My courses go well with what my job requires and that makes learning easy since I get real life experience where I work.”

Thanks to the completely online course formats and self-paced programs offered at CSU, Houston is only about two years away from reaching her lifelong ambition of achieving a college degree. Education is valued at Exterran, and with a bachelor's degree she will have a more competitive edge when applying for executive level positions.

Houston is also actively involved with Junior Achievement, a nonprofit organization promoting business education for children, and volunteers time each week to help teach at a local elementary school. She is dedicated to helping students learn and tries to make a difference in their lives while they are still young.

“At the end of the day I ask students what they are going to do when they finish high school,” said Houston. “I always wait for their response to be "go to college!"

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