Katherine Ferruzzo Foundation Supports HPISD
A dream of becoming a special education teacher is continuing to make a difference in classrooms across Texas through the legacy of Katherine Frances Ferruzzo.
Katherine, a 19-year-old Camp Mystic counselor who lost her life during the July 2025 floods, had planned to attend The University of Texas at Austin and pursue a career in special education. Her passion began while she was a student at Memorial High School in Houston, where she spent time working in a special education classroom through Spring Branch ISD’s APPLE program. It was there that Katherine found the work she hoped would become her life’s calling. During that experience, Katherine also saw firsthand the dedication of special education teachers—including the time and personal resources they often put into creating individualized materials for their students.
Following Katherine’s passing, her mother, Andrea Ferruzzo, established the Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation to continue the work Katherine cared so deeply about. The Foundation supports special education students, educators and classrooms through resources, service and advocacy.
This summer, that mission reached Highland Park ISD.
Andrea connected with HPISD in part because of Katherine’s ties to the Highland Park community. Katherine’s future college roommate was an HPHS graduate, and several Highland Park students shared a connection with her through Camp Mystic.
Working alongside special education educators and volunteers, Andrea creates hands-on work folders designed for students in self-contained special education classrooms. Volunteers gather in her home alongside educators to assemble the materials, which can be used repeatedly by students to practice important academic and functional skills.
Ahead of the new school year, Andrea personally delivered folders and resources for HPISD special education teachers, including materials supporting English language arts and math.
For Andrea, seeing those resources placed directly into the hands of teachers was especially meaningful—a tangible way to continue the work her daughter had hoped to spend her life doing.
Through the Foundation, Katherine’s compassion for children with special needs is now reaching classrooms she never had the opportunity to teach in herself. What began with one young woman discovering a calling in a special education classroom continues through every folder created, every teacher supported and, most importantly, every student those resources help.
HPISD is deeply grateful to Andrea and the Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation for choosing to share Katherine’s legacy with our students and educators.
To learn more about Katherine and the Foundation’s work, visit the Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation.
