College-prep program tackles diversity barriers

By Jennifer Ward

Executive Director, Rainier Scholars - Tacoma

Diversity of individuals, thoughts, and experiences exposes communities to new ideas and perspectives. Yet, those who get the opportunity to influence critical decisions do not always hold diverse lived experiences. 

Factors such as disparities in public school funding, disproportionate disciplinary policies, and family circumstances create an inequitable learning environment for many students around the country. In addition to systemic barriers throughout the K-12 system, the June 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling prohibiting race in college admission decisions created another roadblock to college access for students of color striving for a postsecondary education. Early data from fall 2024 showed decreases in African American enrollment at schools like MIT, Amherst College and Tufts University, which could be tied to the elimination of diversity-aimed scholarship programs.

In addition, the more recent Executive Orders laid out by the Trump administration to roll back many hard-fought diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and accessibility (DEIA) policies threaten to further exacerbate the opportunity gap between capable, college-interested students of color and the option for a postsecondary education.

The complexity of these combined barriers will continue to create roadblocks to college access unless interventions are put in place to keep the doors of opportunity open. This is why it’s so crucial to support programs like Rainier Scholars.

Rainier Scholars provides early academic enrichment, leadership and career development, college advising, and mental health support from fifth grade through college graduation. We help underrepresented students on the pathway to college navigate barriers, access transformative opportunities, and build a network of support to bolster scholar success throughout their educational journey and beyond. Additionally, we believe in the importance of cultivating students’ cultural identity, critical thinking, resilience, and belonging, to ensure their success in college and throughout their adult lives.

In the first few years of the program, scholars will have invested an additional 1,000 hours of learning on top of their regular schooling, advancing their learning beyond their peers. This is one example of how students of color have to go above and beyond to become academically competitive in order to gain access to opportunities.

Meritocracy has become a buzzword in American vernacular, with an underlying assumption that people of color have gained access to college (in this case) solely because of DEI policies that promote balanced outcomes around areas like race or ethnicity. But scholars like the ones we serve at Rainier Scholars are proof that many underrepresented students have and will put forth enormous effort to overcome the systemic barriers that often take them off a college prep pathway. Scholars in our program go far and above what many of their counterparts are asked to do.

At Rainier Scholars, we’re passionate about increasing diversity on college campuses because it exposes all students to new ideas and perspectives. As graduates, scholars bring those ideas and experiences into the working world and step up to become influential leaders in their communities. Everyone benefits when we have a diverse workforce. Many studies have proven how diversity in the workforce fosters innovation and creative problem solving while improving profitability.

Programs like Rainier Scholars are needed to ensure all students — regardless of their resources and support systems — can access a college education and go on to become leaders in their community. Programs, policies, and initiatives that invest in supporting people from all walks of life will help create a brighter future for everyone in our community, in our city, and the country.

If you’d like to learn more about ways to support or get involved with Rainier Scholars, we invite you to visit our website at www.ranierscholars.org and see how you can get involved.