Editor’s Note: The story of three friends from Galveston, Texas, seems less a tribute to upward mobility than a study of obstacles in an age of economic inequality. Each showed the ability to do college work, even excel at it. With little guidance from family or school officials, college became a leap that they braved without a safety net. Their story resonates as our foundation’s vision is that all low-income and/or first-generation students will have a caring and committed mentor to help get them get to and through college.