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 Wins Prestigious National Award
We're incredibly proud to have been selected as the 2022 Inclusion, Access, and Success Award honoree by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). This award recognizes our instrumental work in making postsecondary education more available to historically underrepresented students.

The NACAC annual conference brings over 6,000 college counseling and admissions professionals together to exchange ideas and hear from experts in the college admissions field. It was held for the first time in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

EMERGE’s entire program team participated in the conference to learn more about developing accessible and equitable pathways to higher education. Managing Director of Development Felicia Martin also participated in a panel discussion about collective efforts to differentiate college access services for first-generation students from low-income communities with BridgeYear, Breakthrough Houston, and One Goal-Houston.
EMERGE Receives Generous Grant from NBA Foundation
EMERGE has been awarded a grant from the NBA Foundation to help increase the number of high-achieving students from Houston's under-resourced communities who apply to, attend, and graduate from the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities.

Forty amazing organizations from across the country, including only two in Houston, were selected to receive grants totaling $20 million in the foundation’s sixth round of grantmaking. “We are proud to support EMERGE in their endeavors to increase college enrollment in the Houston-area,” said NBA Foundation Executive Director Greg Taylor. “EMERGE’s dedication to providing under-resourced communities the tools needed to pursue higher education, graduate and move on to meaningful career opportunities has already transformed the lives of young people, and we look forward to the continued growth of this organization’s impact on the trajectory of our nation’s Black youth.”
EMERGE Takes Over 300 Students on Group College Tours
Over 300 EMERGE students visited colleges and universities across the country this summer as we relaunched our signature in-person summer trip experience for the first time since the pandemic began. After hosting the program entirely virtually for two years, we were able to safely visit 26 colleges and universities across five regions: California, Philadelphia, Connecticut/NYC, Ohio, and Boston. Students visit four types of institutions – a large research university, Ivy League school, women’s college, and a liberal arts college – to discover which type of institution will be a good fit for them. The impact of this experience is a game-changer as it not only helps build a selective college mindset but also helps our students to see themselves on these campuses.
EMERGE Launches RFI to Expand to New School Districts
It’s an exciting time at EMERGE as we prepare to expand our innovative college access and support services to students at two additional school districts in Greater Houston. We recently launched a Request for Information to identify prospective partners with the hope of serving students in two new districts by the fall of 2023.

Please share the RFI with any contacts you may have within any Houston-area school districts and encourage them to consider partnering with us to increase the number of high-achieving students from low-income communities who apply to, attend, and graduate from the nation’s top colleges and universities.

We invite you to check out a panel discussion with Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya Goffney, former Spring ISD Superintendent Dr. Rodney Watson, and two EMERGE students who highlighted EMERGE's remarkable outcomes for school districts and students. In the excerpt linked below, University of Southern California Junior C'Kendall Carey shares firsthand the transformational impact of EMERGE.

Learn more at emergefellowship.org/emergepartners, or for specific questions, you can contact us via email at emergepartners@emergefellowship.org. 
EMERGE Annual Build The Village Luncheon: March 7



We are excited to announce EMERGE’s 6th annual Build The Village Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at the River Oaks Country Club. 

This signature event will be one to remember as we celebrate the important work of EMERGE and our amazing students.

For sponsorship opportunities and more information, please visit www.emergefellowship.org/luncheon or email Delaney Navarro at delaney@emergefellowship.org. 
EMERGE Mentor Program Helps Seniors Build Social Capital
EMERGE was recently featured in a report by The Brookings Institution that was co-authored by EMERGE alumnus Beyond Deng, a researcher and data analyst who graduated from Carnegie Vanguard High School in 2017 and Williams College in 2021. The report, Who You Know: Relationships, networks, and social capital in boosting opportunity for young Americans, examines the importance of networks and social capital on the collegiate success of students of color and those from low-income communities. EMERGE was one of four college access and success organizations featured, with a focus on our mentor program for high school seniors. Every year, EMERGE pairs 50 to 75 seniors with Houston business leaders to help expose them to various career paths and industries and expand their networking skills. More than 50 students and mentors kicked off the 2022-23 program year last month with a mingler at the Houston Botanic Garden. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a mentor, contact Ally Peterson at ally@emergefellowship.org.  
EMERGE In The News