It’s been a little over a year since HISD launched its “EMERG-ing Voices” blog to highlight five talented students from underserved communities on their journey toward higher education, and in that time, students’ blog posts have explored a wide—and often entertaining—range of topics.

Entries from rising seniors Meghan Berndt, Joshua Epkins, and Olaide Sode started out with visits to Ivy League schools over the summer of 2014 (including one thought-provoking humanities lecture at Yale about the ethics of cannibalism), and evolved as the year wore on into finishing college applications, making decisions about which college to attend, facing the prospect of leaving home for the first time, and even the reality of senioritis.

Entries from freshman college students Karen Banda and Felipe Guillen, meanwhile, dealt with navigating orientation programs, preparing for final exams, and even a stint as a guest speaker at HISD’s annual State of the Schools luncheon.

To see all entries from the previous year, please visit www.houstonisd.org/EMERGE.