High school students in grades 9-11 are encouraged to apply for the HISD EMERGE program, which prepares talented HISD students from underserved communities to successfully attend and graduate from Ivy League and other top-tier colleges. The program, which was founded in 2011 at Chavez High School by Yale graduate and then-HISD teacher Richard Cruz, is expanding this year to include 13 additional school sites.

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Students in EMERGE benefit from extensive programming, individualized support, and tailored resources throughout high school. EMERGE program managers — graduates of schools such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale — work closely with students and their families to ensure students’ success at the nation’s top colleges. The program itself is composed of five main components:

• School-based Programming
• Ivy+College Tour
• SAT Preparation
• Future Scholars Institute
• One-on-One College Application Support

Any HISD student in grades 9-11 is eligible to apply to be part of the program, but a limited number of spots are available, and students will be selected on the basis of their academic qualifications and the quality of their application.

Students interested in applying for EMERGE may fill out an application by clicking here. Applications are due November 1.

Teachers and counselors who know of a student who may be a good fit for the EMERGE program may nominate him or her by clicking here.

More information on the EMERGE Program is available by visiting www.houstonisd.org/emerge.