Emmanuel Junior (CUNY Sophie Davis)

Emmanuel Junior immigrated from Ghana two years ago with his twin brother, his mother and younger twin siblings. He is first in his senior class at the Felisa Rincon de Gautier Institute for Law and Public Policy in the Bronx.

He's a student leader who leads by example. Some classmates this year have copied his personal taste for wearing a jacket in school and for clearing his lunch table in the cafeteria. They also like the pizza he serves at a tutorial program he runs.

His grandmother's illness helped propel him towards a career in medicine. This fall, he will start the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program at City University—7 years of school that include medical school.

The teacher who made a difference in his life is his college counselor, Sandie Maldonado from Felisa Rincon de Gautier Institute for Law and Public Policy.