Class of 2014 member Felipe Guillen, who will be the first in this family to attend college, is heading almost 2,000 miles away from home this fall on a full scholarship to Stanford University.

“What I’m really nervous about is kind of losing myself and trying to fit in,” said the Chávez High School graduate. “A lot of the students who are going to go to Stanford are very wealthy. My family’s situation right now is not the best, and I just hope not to be outcast by that.”

Guillen is one of dozens of young people taking part in HISD’s EMERGE program, which helps students prepare to attend the nation’s top college and universities. He plans to major in history and Spanish, and will write about his experiences on the EMERGing Voices blog, which is scheduled to go live later this month.

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