This ruling sets America back from decades worth of progress in diversifying college campuses: According to the Department of Education, 37 percent of Black people in the 18-to-24 age range were enrolled in college, and Hispanics made up 33 percent of college students in that age range. In California, where the state affirmative action ban has been in place since 1998, Hispanic students at UCLA and California made up just 21.5 percent of the 2020 freshman class, 29 percentage points below the college-eligible Hispanic population.

In the ruling, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote that 鈥渁 benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student鈥檚 courage and determination. Or a benefit to a student whose heritage or culture motivated him or her to assume a leadership role or attain a particular goal must be tied to that student鈥檚 unique ability to contribute to the university. In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual 鈥� not based on race.鈥�

This decision is meant to put parameters around how students discuss any disadvantages they鈥檝e faced in their college applications. But for students of color, it鈥檚 almost impossible to discuss the disadvantages one has faced without tying it back to race.

Through housing discrimination, lack of generational wealth, and navigating a world in which the minority body isn鈥檛 as valued as white counterparts, the minority experience is embedded in a person from birth.

Race is a significant part of a person鈥檚 identity. Affirmative action allowed minority students to receive more of a fair shot of being admitted into college. It allowed colleges to be intentional on diversifying its campuses. It ensures that underrepresented students are given an opportunity. Focusing solely on one鈥檚 test scores and GPA ignores the context of the individual.

Even more alarming, standardized tests inherently disadvantage Black and brown individuals because they lack access to test prep, attend , and often aren鈥檛 given the opportunity to take advanced coursework to better prepare them for the exams.

Take me, for example. I was a solid student at Westinghouse College Prep. It鈥檚 a reputable school, but I wasn鈥檛 at the top of my class and suffered from test anxiety, so my SAT scores didn鈥檛 reflect my ability.

I transferred to Westinghouse during my sophomore year to have access to the advanced placement courses and extracurriculars that universities look for 鈥� not every student is afforded the luxury of being able to transfer. In doing so, I struggled to keep up during my sophomore year 鈥� which was an anchor to my GPA.聽 I didn鈥檛 shy away from my identity and experiences throughout the college application process. My 海角乱伦社区 counselor, Monique Moore, encouraged me to talk about my sophomore year, which saw my grades fall from 3.8 my freshman year to much lower, and to not run from that year.

I probably wouldn鈥檛 have been admitted to Knox College if it wasn鈥檛 for the school looking at every part of my identity, not just my GPA and test scores. Changing the paradigm would have significantly hurt my chances. I didn鈥檛 hide the fact that I would be a first-generation college student coming from a single-parent family.

鈥淭he admissions rubrics they have constructed now recognize that an individual鈥檚 鈥榤erit鈥� 鈥� his ability to succeed in an institute of higher learning and ultimately contribute something to our society 鈥� cannot be fully determined without understanding that individual in full,鈥� Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said after the ruling.

The ban prevented diversity from occurring at private institutions, which hurts the college process for every student involved.We learn from those who come from different backgrounds. Being exposed to different people from different cultures is paramount to your growth as a student and person.

Knox was a very diverse school: The opportunities to learn about my friends and classmates culture鈥檚 was eye-opening. I have never traveled outside of the United States, so hearing about one鈥檚 culture and attending dance performances during the college鈥檚 International Week was beneficial and enriching to my educational experience.

That experience wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without race being part of the calculus in the decision process. The ruling won鈥檛 end Affirmative Action, but it will make diversity at colleges and universities tougher to achieve.

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You’ve probably heard that adage before, and it applies to any career.

That鈥檚 not to say that skills aren鈥檛 important, but often to get your foot in the door; it鈥檚 who you know. It鈥檚 okay if you don鈥檛 have an expansive network entering your freshman year. But over the next four years, do everything you can to introduce yourself to people in your career field and maintain those relationships.

Don鈥檛 go in thinking that these people are going to hire you. Instead, ask to learn from them. Ask them about their path and how they got to where they are now. Show the person you want to learn and have the requisite initiative to take their advice.

If your school has a person in charge of alumni interactions meet with that person. They will help you contact alum whose careers align with your interests.

During my undergrad years, I connected with alums who worked as the deputy managing editor of the Chicago Sun-Times. That experience gave me a face-to-face interaction with someone who could potentially hire me and a chance to ask him what he looks for in a potential hire. The managing editor hasn鈥檛 hired me, but I changed my approach in interviews based on his advice.

Outside of school, I reached out to people on my behalf. I majored in journalism, so I wrote a list of my favorite writers and reached out through email and Twitter.

Because they鈥檙e not management and more colleagues, they became friends/mentors. They routinely sent me job openings I wouldn鈥檛 have been privy to unless they gave me the heads up.

One of my mentors even wrote me a letter of recommendation for a job. My other mentor, Nicole, introduced me to many professionals in my field. Without her, I wouldn鈥檛 have ever been exposed to professional environments. Nicole has been very instrumental in my career: She鈥檚 been a sounding board for ideas I had, she鈥檚 advocated on my behalf and is someone that I know will speak positively on my behalf.

I still had to be qualified for these opportunities but talking with my eventual boss before I applied and having someone speak up for me helped. It is rare to make it alone in any profession. It鈥檚 always important to have people in your corner who can vouch for you.

Connecting with people in your field is also beneficial from a mental health standpoint. Those people understand the trials and tribulations you鈥檙e going through; they can answer questions you might have, and, most importantly, they will be able to empathize with you.

A good first step is to make sure you鈥檙e active on LinkedIn. Even if you鈥檙e happy in your job, looking at LinkedIn to see what openings are out there never hurts. The more connections you make on LinkedIn, the more opportunities you鈥檒l see through its algorithm. Also, make sure you take advantage of any opportunity to get a professional headshot from your school or organization you鈥檙e a part of, and always update your resume. Networking is a valuable skill that is never ending.

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I come from a one-parent household, so securing a robust financial aid package was paramount for me to attend college. Knowing that, I decided to apply for outside scholarships to help bridge the gap, but the scholarships weren鈥檛 renewable other than the one given to me by the Chicago Cubs. I didn鈥檛 have a favorite school throughout the process, because my dream schools were out of reach.

Knox College was a school that I applied to without knowing much about the institution. It didn鈥檛 have a journalism major, only a minor. For me, that was already a red flag, so I didn鈥檛 research the school further. They didn鈥檛 give me an admissions decision at Onsite and eventually rejected my application. I met with my 海角乱伦社区 counselor, Monique Moore, and she said I should apply again after I received my second-quarter grades. She told me about Knox鈥檚 academic reputation. She didn鈥檛 allow me to take the first response as the only response.

Around mid-January, I received an acceptance from the small liberal arts college in central Illinois. There wasn鈥檛 any jubilation or tears of joy, just indifference. I didn鈥檛 believe I was going to attend the school. I was so adamant about not going to Knox that I didn鈥檛 even visit. (Note to Scholars: that was a big mistake, don鈥檛 do what I did).

Fast forward to the last week of April when I decided to attend Columbia College Chicago. I visited the downtown campus, talked with alumni and professors, and fell in love with the program. I worried about not receiving the full college experience as a commuter, but commuting allowed me to save money.

On the Thursday before decision day, Knox鈥檚 financial aid award letter was delivered to my home. It was the best package I was offered, and it turned out that my best friend was also planning to attend.

If you鈥檙e a stellar student, I know you have your dream school in mind, but don鈥檛 close your mind to other schools. Do your research and weigh your options. What might look like your 鈥渄ream school鈥� might not be the great fit that you initially thought. Ms. Moore鈥檚 help was unquantifiable; I couldn鈥檛 have gone through the college process without her guidance in the college process. She helped me write letters and find realistic options. She always told me the truth, even if I didn鈥檛 want to hear it. Looking back, I wish I had taken advantage of those counseling sessions more. Ask questions, even if the outcome seems final. If your session is almost over, ask if you can schedule another time. Today, I鈥檓 a first-generation college graduate in large part due to the foundation set from my time as a Chicago Scholar and the resources available to me.

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