Four HISD students will travel free to Great Britain this summer, thanks to the British Foundation of Texas’s (BAFTX) Junior Achievers award. The students will travel for nearly two weeks learning about British culture.

Juniors Ziwei Guo (Bellaire HS), Yazmin Hurtado (Davis HS), David Jasso (Reagan HS), and Donald Peacock (Reagan HS) wrote compelling essays, obtained strong teacher recommendations, and demonstrated the academic excellence to stand out among the more than 100 applicants.

HISD juniors comprise four of the six winners from Texas and will be honored at an awards banquet in Houston on May 12, 2015. The students will visit sites of historic and artistic importance, such as the Tower of London, as well as attending a play in London’s West End.

The application process was supported by Discover U, a local nonprofit that works with Houston area high schools to provide resources and learning experiences to broaden the world view of economically disadvantaged youth. As an HISD partner, they work with several district high schools and the EMERGE program.

“I found out about the program from my college coordinator, and she helped me through the application process,” said Davis student Yazmin Hurtado. “I believe that I will gain knowledge about the world and have a chance to interact with new people and things.”

“The Discover U program was started at Lee High School when I was a counselor there,” said College Readiness Director David Johnston. “I know firsthand the power of their programming to change students’ lives.”

“We are very excited to share this great news with the HISD community,” said Discover U Executive Director Tonyel Simon.