This qualitative study considered how a high school in the south central United States serving predominantly immigrant students from Mexico and Central America made use of older Hispanic or Latino staff members as surrogate or stand-in grandparents (fondly called "abuelitos" by the students). The caring, intergenerational relationships that older staff members developed with students, both in and out of the classroom, created a bridge from the old to the new culture and school and helped immigrant students gain access to what Stanton-Salazar (1997) called institutional knowledge, that is, learning that allows students to gain confidence and understanding in how to navigate and succeed in a new school setting. Coupled with this institutional knowledge, or knowledge of how a school works, students learned nonacademic skills such as time management as well as study skills.