Where to Live in Houston? - The Heights



Coach Qiji used his photography skills to take a picture of a neighborhood
in the Heights after a rainstorm

• Why did you choose to live in the Heights?
• It is a relatively central location and close to I-10, which helps provide easy access to the College Forward office. It was also recommended to me by Becky (Program Manager) as a great place to live at.
• How long have you lived there?
• I moved to the Heights in January of this year.
• What are a few things you like about the area you live in?
• My favorite thing about living in this area is the bike trail located near my house. It is a 12 mile path that I like to utilize quiet often. I also like the fact that the neighborhood is quiet and very safe. And lastly, it is a family orientated/young professional sort of area so you always see people walking around.
• What are a few things you do not like about the area?
• I love this area of town, so no complaints!
• What are your neighbors like?
• Working professionals whom you almost never see during the day.
• How much does it cost to live there?
• I pay $400 per month, which includes all bills! (Electricity, gas, water, Internet, and cable) I actually found the apartment through Craigslist.
• If some of our future Houstonians have more questions, would you mind if they contacted you?
• Sure! You can reach me at qwang@collegeforward.org

Eisenhower Senior Prom

Eisenhower Coaches

It was an epic day last Friday as Eisenhower coaches got to chaperon their first prom!!!!!!!! It was exciting for the coaches to see all of their students in their beautiful dresses and dapper tuxes and of course a ton of pictures were taken! Enjoy!

Coach Jess with her Howard University bound student- Marcus Livingston

Coach Teanna with the best counselor in the world- Ms. Arrington

Coach Jess and Xenia posing with a future A&M Aggie- Inice Warren



Coach Xenia with the best art teacher in the world- Dr. Kelley

College Forward Seniors Mirna Calderon and Heydy Sanchez



Prom King and Queen!

And finally for the best picture of the night, we present Coach Xenia and Dustin as prom king and queen! Coach Dustin's dream of becoming prom king (he lost by 8 votes in high school) finally came true!!!! Congrats!!!

Houston AmeriCorps Awareness Week

Christi and Xenia showing off their AmeriCorps pride

Last week was Houston AmeriCorps Week! It was a week dedicated to bringing awareness of AmeriCorps to the general public. Also, it is a time in which current AmeriCorps members come together to serve their community by doing additional volunteering. On May 18th, College Forward volunteered at Magnolia Community Garden, which is located in one of the oldest Mexican-American neighborhoods on the southeast side of Houston. The garden provides fresh vegetables for the community and so CoFo members helped clean up and mulch.

Group pic after working all morning in the garden

The following Monday, there was an AmeriCorps alumni get together at Under the Volcano. It is a bar located in the West University area and on Mondays they have $15 steaks!

Dustin and Trey at Under the Volcano

On Tuesday, College Forward went down to City Hall to meet Mayor Annise Parker. It was there that the Mayor recognized AmeriCorps and all of its efforts in front of city council. It was especially exciting for CoFo members as they had the opportunity to pose for a bunch of pictures with Ms. Parker.

Mayor Annise Parker and College Forward

After the City Council meeting, College Forward helped make puppets for autistic children. It was a fun experience and also a great opportunity for College Forward to collaborate with other AmeriCorps organizations.

Christi and Xenia posing with their puppets

And to complete the week, on Wednesday there was another opportunity for AmeriCorps members and alumni to get together at Sky High Zone Trampoline Park. Participants were able to jump around and have a good time! And on Thursday, there was a volunteer opportunity for AmeriCorps members at the Houston Food Bank. Overall, it was a successful week and it definitely brought more awareness to the public on AmeriCorps!

Coach Profile- Christi Garza

Coach Christi at work!

• Where are you originally from?
• I am originally from San Antonio, Texas. Born and raised!
• Where did you graduate from? What did you major in?
• I graduated from Texas A&M San Antonio with a degree in Sociology.
• What brought you to College Forward?
• College access has always been something that has interested me, and knowing that I would be able to assist students who wanted to further their education definitely made the choice easy.
• What is your favorite thing about working here?
• My students definitely! Watching them go through the process and seeing their excitement over acceptance letters is probably the most rewarding aspect.
• If you could describe College Forward in 5 words, what would they be?
• Fun, Challenging, Changing, Rewarding, and Diverse
• What has been your biggest accomplishment at College Forward thus far?
• Getting to know my students personally and having them know that they can depend on me.
• What is your favorite thing about living in Houston?
• I would have to say the diversity...not to mention the tons of different food places to try.
• What is your favorite food?
• I love steak (medium rare) with some steamed veggies. I am a food lover, so I'll pretty much eat anything, or at least try it once.
• What kind of music do you listen to?
• Everything and anything- from Country to Modern Rock to Spanish Rock to DnB to Electronica to whatever is playing on the radio. For the most part, I'm never without my headphones.
• What is your favorite place to go in Houston?
• Hermann Park- it's an awesome place to go for a jog, relax in the sun or just take in the day.
• Do you have any talents or hobbies?
• Well, when I'm at home, in San Antonio, I enjoy hiking and running trails. You could also do that in Houston, but you do have to drive a good distance.
• What is your favorite restaurant in Houston?
• As I've only been to a few, I'd have to say Lupe's Tortillas or Torchy's Tacos!
• And last but not least- what advice would you give to future coaches?
• Have fun, enjoy working with the kids, don't take things too seriously, and most of all they're teenagers, so embrace their immaturity but push them to do anything and everything!

The One and Only- Gary Newman

Gary Newman is a part of Advise TX Corp and a College Forward buddy. He works closely with the Eisenhower coaches and is always an available resource for college related matters.

Newman is a native Houstonian and graduated from Texas A&M University- College Station in May 2011. Since August 2011, he has worked at Eisenhower High School as a College Advisor. His organization seeks to increase the number of high school students entering and finishing college and thus his program is a great collaborator with College Forward.

Overall, Newman is a great guy and the CoFo crew is obviously a fan!

Student Profile- Renell Henry

Renell Henry is the student profile of the week! Renell is a junior at Eisenhower High School and is a very excellent student. He is so outstanding that he has been accepted into two summer programs at Texas Christian University Camp College and the University of Texas at Austin McCombs Future Executive Academy. Congrats to Renell!

• Why did you join College Forward?
• To get assistance with standardized tests and applying to college.
• What do you love most about the organization?
• The coaches.
• What is the best quality in your College Forward coach?
• My coach is Coach Trey and I like his personality and his positivity.
• What school do you want to attend and what are you planning to major in?
• Baylor and as of right now I am undecided on the major.
• Do you have any hobbies or talents?
• Football.
• What advice would you give to future coaches?
• To get to know your students on a personal level so you can assist them better.

Shipley Do-nuts

Ask any native Houstonian and they will probably tell you that Shipley's has the best donuts in town. It all started in 1936 when Lawrence Shipley formulated the recipe for pretty much the best donut in the world. Since then Shipley's has expanded to dozen of locations around Houston and now to several surrounding states. Overall, you could start off your morning with a mouth watering donut, a delicious sausage and cheese kolache (for you out of state folks it is similar to the "pigs in a blanket" concept) and a cup of coffee- all for 3-4 bucks!

Trey having a feast on some Shipley Do-nuts

Christi and Dustin reppin' the Shipley's bag

Everyone in the CoFo office is a fan of Shipley's! Here are a couple of pics of Coach Trey, Dustin, and Christi modeling for Shipley's!