No person is born at their fullest potential. Troy Jackson, a senior at HISD’s Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy, would tell anyone that much. Jacksonnever expected greatness, but with hard work and perseverance, as well as guidance from a handful of trusted adults, he is preparing to attend Swarthmore College in the fall on a full academic scholarship.
Continue readingCategory Archives: EMERGE
HISD EMERGE students spend summer visiting nation’s top colleges
College campus visits are an essential part of choosing the right school for higher learning. For HISD students in the EMERGE program, that means a summer vacation full of stops to some of the best universities across the nation for free.
Continue readingHISD students get a jump on college planning with unique summer program at Rice
This summer, HISD sophomores and freshmen are giving college readiness a summer camp spin with Connectrix at Rice University, a program designed to establish comprehensive support for underrepresented early high school students that will prepare them to choose, apply to, and attend college after graduation.
Continue readingWatch as Chavez HS student learns she’s Stanford-bound
As the HISD Class of 2023 approaches graduation, college acceptance letters are rolling in. In early April, Chavez High School senior Tuong Phung learned she’d be going to her dream school—Stanford University.
The heartwarming moment was captured on video.
Continue readingEMERGE applications open for HISD sophomores
Tenth graders in Houston Independent School District are encouraged to apply for EMERGE, a program that empowers and prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to attend and graduate from top colleges and universities across the nation that offer substantial financial-aid packages.
HISD sophomores who want to explore in-state and out-of-state college options and would like to work with a mentor to create a competitive college application can apply to be an EMERGE fellow now through May 15, 2023. The application can be found here.
Continue readingEMERGE recruiting 10th-graders; application deadline extended to June 13
Tenth-graders in Houston Independent School District are encouraged to apply for EMERGE, a program that empowers and prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to attend and graduate from top colleges and universities across the nation.
Applications are currently available and are due by June 13. (Please note: this application deadline was extended from May 31 to June 13.)
EMERGE is a nationally recognized program started in Houston ISD that helps first-generation and low-income students. The program is free for all accepted students.
Continue reading14 EMERGE students accepted to Middlebury College with full-ride financial aid
Sitting in English class at the High School for Law and Justice, listening to a lesson on Macbeth, Roy Urbina knew his life would soon be completely different.
In just a few short months—just over 150 days, he’ll tell you—Urbina will leave his home near Hobby Airport and fly to Vermont, where he’ll be attending Middlebury College. From the largest city in Texas to a town of about 9,000 people a two-hour drive from French Canada, the first-generation college student is ready for the adventure.
“I can’t wait for the independence of college,” he said, laughing. “But I’m looking forward to the environment. You can go hiking, you can go outside, having that openness right there. Living in Houston, it’s pretty urban, and Vermont is so different.”
Continue readingHISD graduate studying at Yale selected as Rhodes Scholar
Bellaire HS alum and EMERGE program participant Liana Wang among 32 U.S. students chosen for elite honor
Houston Independent School District graduate Liana Wang has been selected to join the 2020 Rhodes Scholarship class from a pool of nearly 1,000 U.S. applicants who attend top colleges and universities throughout the nation.
“This is a testament to the community that has brought me here: my family, friends, professors, and supporters throughout my life, including my teachers and mentors in EMERGE and HISD,” Wang said. “They motivate my work, and I hope my time at Oxford helps me better achieve my goals of pursuing a more just and equitable society.”
Continue readingApplications for EMERGE open on Nov. 12
Sophomore students who want to explore in-state and out-of-state college options and would like to work with a mentor to create a competitive college application, should apply to be an EMERGE fellow.
Applications open Tuesday, Nov. 12 and are due on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019.
The application is available at HoustonISD.org/EMERGE.
EMERGE empowers and prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to attend and graduate from top colleges and universities across the nation. These institutions offer substantial financial-aid packages to students.
Continue readingStudent goes from Harvard ES to Harvard University
Bridgett Ramirez was born and raised in Houston, the oldest of three children. She began her formal education at Harvard Elementary School and is now attending Harvard University in Boston. She is the first in her family to go to college after graduating from Lanier Middle School and Heights High School.
Ramirez credits the HISD EMERGE program with helping her get into Harvard U. “EMERGE gave me the mentorship that my parents were not able to provide. The one-on-one relationship that I built with (EMERGE Program Manager) Esau Molina was so valuable. He made sure I was prepared for the college-application process, and he helped me get SAT prep.” Continue reading