Published by Houston Public Media, this story follows Houston high school students as they embark on EMERGE’s summer college tour—with families gathered for a heartfelt despedida, or send-off. The event symbolizes EMERGE’s commitment to including parents early in their students’ college journey and building a supportive community for first-generation families. For many participants, the trip is their first time leaving home or flying on a plane—an important step toward exploring top-tier colleges outside Houston. As EMERGE Executive Director Trisha Cornwell explained, “We know that if we’re going to convince more students to test out schools outside the city, we have to think of this as a family decision and not a student decision.”
