A nonprofit that has graduated more than 800 young adults since 2019 has established a League City foothold, positioning its career and life-skills programming closer to local families.

Higher Up Texas, known as HUT, teaches skills that high school curricula skip: networking, credit building, filing taxes and making a strong first impression. CEO Hillary Gramm, who joined the League City Regional Chamber of Commerce in February 2026, told Community Impact the program teaches students "how to adult."

"We're not microchipped with all the things you need to know at 18," Gramm said.

The organization is listed with the League City chamber at 921 FM-517 and maintains a mailing address at PO Box 1300, League City. Its main campus is at 1911 FM-517 East in Dickinson, with a satellite office in La Marque. Graduates have gone on to pursue careers in healthcare, finance and engineering.

How it works

HUT's Phase 1 is a two-hour weekly class built into the school day for high school seniors at Dickinson, Texas City and La Marque high schools. It replaces a traditional class period rather than running after school. About 80% of Phase 1 graduates continue into Phase 2, a post-graduation support network for navigating early adulthood.

In 2025, the program welcomed 185 new Phase 1 members across its three campuses, and more than 300 young adults received Phase 2 guidance. Members logged 298 volunteer hours in their communities.

Within two years, HUT aims to enroll every La Marque High School senior.

A thank-you note that landed a badge

Madilyn Pena became the first HUT graduate hired into law enforcement in 2026 when the Galveston County Sheriff's Department brought her on as a conditional analyst. The department had initially rejected her application.

Pena said Gramm advised her to send a thank-you note for the interview opportunity anyway. She was subsequently hired.

Gramm said the professional etiquette HUT drills into students, such as firm handshakes, eye contact and written follow-ups, impresses employers because most 18-year-olds don't bring those skills to the table.

Other graduates include engineering students Artemio Anguiano and Elizabeth Soto, both first-generation college attendees, and a couple who were teen parents at enrollment and have since purchased their first home.

Roots in the community

Gramm spent 10 years at Communities In Schools – Bay Area, including five years working directly with Clear Creek ISD students, before launching HUT with its first class of 27 in 2019. She holds a master's degree from the University of Houston–Clear Lake and received the Women in Leadership Award from the Texas City La Marque Chamber of Commerce in October 2024.

HUT celebrated its seventh anniversary in June with a ribbon-cutting attended by the Clear Lake Area Chamber. The organization held its 5th Annual HUT Honors gala on March 27 at South Shore Harbour Resort's Crystal Ballroom in League City.

The program's motto, printed on mint green rubber keychains each student carries, reads: "I'm defined by my choices, not my challenges."

Residents interested in enrollment or volunteering can reach HUT at (281) 705-4167 or higheruptexas.org.