Seven houses
Each of the seven houses is built on one core value. You never pick your house and you never see a house name while you apply: your answers decide it. Placement is permanent, from induction through graduation.
House 01
The house that opens its arms first.
Every scholar, whatever their background or identity, feels a real sense of belonging here, is valued, and is supported on their own path. Inclusivity is not lowering the bar. It is removing barriers that were never supposed to be there.
“Solidarity is not an act of charity, but mutual aid between forces fighting for the same objective.”Samora Machel
House 02
The house that does what it says it will do.
Growth through mutual commitment: taking responsibility for your goals and supporting each other with honest, constructive feedback. Most people wait for circumstances to change. The ones who change them stopped waiting and started owning.
“Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice.”
House 03
The house that does not stay comfortable.
Continuous learning, personal resilience, academic excellence, and professional growth for every member. Most of what RISE changes we will never see. We build anyway.
“You're building a bridge because you know it's needed, not because you'll ever know who walked across it.”the Founder
House 04
The house that shows up for the whole.
Strong, connected networks that make collaboration, peer learning, and shared success normal. Every RISE scholar walks into a room as everyone who poured into them.
“I come as one, but I stand as 10,000.”Maya Angelou
House 05
The house you can trust.
Honesty, transparency, and ethical conduct in every interaction. Integrity lives in the small moments: the check-in you submit truthfully when a half-truth was easier.
“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.”Oprah Winfrey
House 06
The house that refuses to let people settle.
The tools, knowledge, and confidence to take ownership of your future. Empowerment is not giving people power. It is helping them see they already have it.
“The moment you accept responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you gain the power to change anything in your life.”Hal Elrod
House 07
The house that serves sacrificially.
Unconditional care and service to one another, without expecting anything back. You do not help people because they earned it. You help them because they are people.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”Martin Luther King Jr.
Each house's founding class elects a J-Board, votes on a name, and shapes its crest and colors. The value stays as a permanent subtitle: "[Chosen Name], the House of [Value]."
You will find out at induction. Start by telling us what matters to you.
