EMERGE empowers and prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to attend and graduate from selective colleges and universities across the nation. EMERGE is creating a pipeline of future leaders in every industry who aspire to change the world.
EMERGE's Largest Senior Class Headed to Over 200 Top-Tier Colleges
It's the most wonderful time of the year -- college acceptance season is here! EMERGE students have been accepted to over 200 colleges and universities throughout the nation, many with full-ride scholarships! With college acceptances rolling in every day, to date, nearly 90 percent of EMERGE's 500+ seniors have been accepted to at least one college or university. Over 30 percent of our senior class has already committed to amazing schools, including Columbia, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Aldine ISD Student Shares Powerful Testimony about EMERGE's Impact
We invite you to watch a powerful testimony of the profound impact that EMERGE has had on Aldine ISD senior Jonathan Bush, who gives a detailed account of his journey to define his identity after being adopted at a young age and how EMERGE played a significant role in his success. Watch to find out where he is headed to college this fall! 
EMERGE Build The Village Luncheon Raises Record $618,000
EMERGE’s 6th Annual Build The Village Luncheon was a huge success! A sold-out crowd of nearly 500 guests attended the luncheon and, to date, we have raised a record-breaking $618,000 in support of our students. This signature event was one to remember as we celebrated EMERGE’s impactful work and honored HISD Deputy Superintendent and EMERGE Founder, Dr. Rick Cruz.
 
We are so grateful for everyone who made this year’s luncheon a success, especially our dynamic co-chairs Ericka and Garrett Graham and Shannon and Ernest Hunter II. Thank you again to the EMERGE village for your incredible generosity. Together, we can continue to build a powerful network of graduates from top-tier colleges who are prepared to make a difference in their communities and the world.
EMERGE Partners with ConocoPhillips to Host STEM Roundtable
A huge thank you to ConocoPhillips for partnering with EMERGE to host a STEM Roundtable and Career Panel for our high school students. The panelists included Russell Williams, an environmental engineer at ConocoPhillips, Juan Vargas, a completions engineer at ConocoPhillips, Yeannet Ruiz, an EMERGE alumnus who is now a Geospatial Analyst for the City of Houston, Suratha Elango, a pediatrician at Texas Children’s, and Kyle Pierce, an engineer and Director of DEI at LyondellBasell. Students had wonderful questions for the panelists, and the panelists shared great insight into what a career in STEM entails.

Our country needs leaders who can bring fresh perspectives to bear on the world's toughest problems. Supporters like ConocoPhillips inspire our students to dream big and pursue opportunities that might previously have seemed out of reach.
EMERGE Welcomes New VP of Strategy and Growth
We're excited to introduce Mubeen Khumwala, our new vice president of strategy and growth, who will play a vital role in our efforts to expand our innovative college access and support services to thousands more students in Greater Houston. Mubeen joins us from City Forward Collective in Milwaukee, where he served as managing director of operations. He began his career as a Teach For America corps member teaching middle school math for YES Prep. He also served as director of strategy and operations for the Texas Education Agency and as a consultant for Deloitte. He received an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston.
EMERGE in the News