Stories
The proof is
the Scholars.
A 100% college acceptance rate. A 100% college graduation rate. Here is what that looks like.
In their words
Meet Eduardo Hernandez.
Atlas Scholars pushed Eduardo to wrestle with harder questions about his future — and supported him through the uncertainty. Today he’s studying Computer Science & Math at MIT.
“Outside of Atlas, I was surrounded by people who didn’t expect much from me. In Atlas, I was asked harder questions — the kind that forced me to confront uncertainty early on, but in a safe environment with people who knew how to guide me.”
Eduardo Hernandez · Class of 2024 · CS & Math @ MIT
Where they come from
Where the Class of 2028 comes from.
Every summer a new class arrives. The Class of 2028 — 24 Scholars from 18 high schools across 6 districts — comes from all over the city. The map shades each Houston neighborhood by the Opportunity Atlas's measure of upward mobility; the dots are the cohort's schools. Talent turns up everywhere. Opportunity doesn't.
Adult household income for kids who grew up low-income — lower (brick) to higher (teal) mobility.
Shading: each neighborhood's predicted adult household income for kids who grew up in low-income families. Source: The Opportunity Atlas (2018), Opportunity Insights / U.S. Census Bureau. School locations approximate.
Where they landed
Every class. Every college.
Each box is one Scholar’s college destination, class by class.
What they study
What they study.
Primary field of study, across alumni who have declared a major.
Including the unexpected — neuroscience, oceanography, sport management, and kinesiology.
From aerospace engineering to journalism, computer science to kinesiology — Atlas Scholars don’t funnel down a single path. The mentorship, exposure, and confidence Scholars build prepare them to thrive in whatever career or field they choose.
Where they work
Where they work.
Alumni launch into every kind of room: a third start in finance or consulting, and the rest fan out across energy, tech, medicine, aerospace, public service, and the classroom.
A selection of alumni employers — first jobs and beyond.
Where they are now
150+ Scholars, and counting.
More than 150 Scholars have been impacted, including 93 Scholars actively supported by the program today — from this year’s first years to those who just graduated from college.
Joseias Esayas
Class of 2025
International Affairs & Finance · Princeton
Karis Vickers
Class of 2024
Biology · UT San Antonio
Victor Zhang
Class of 2024
Finance · Notre Dame
Zion Duplechain
Class of 2023
Electrical Engineering · Columbia
Bella Garcia
Class of 2022
Environmental Studies · Yale
Yarselyn Flores
Class of 2021
Economics · University of Chicago
Sam Buley
Class of 2019
Aerospace Engineer · NASA
Astrid Escobar
Class of 2018
Board Governance · KIPP
Kiara Guyton
Class of 2018
Growth · Meta
Haeyun Lee
Class of 2017
Media Distribution · NBA
Mai Pham
Class of 2015
Chief Growth Officer · Forum3
John Dana
Class of 2015
Officer · U.S. Navy
On Instagram
@atlasscholars →
