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What did I get from affirmative action? 3 Ivy League degrees and another underway. | GUEST COMMENTARY

As my young family members hear back from colleges about admissions decisions, I recall my experience and how being accepted to Cornell quite literally changed the course of my life. The moment also reminds me how I could have missed the opportunity to attend life-changing institutions if the current college admissions policies were in place then.

The decision by the United States Supreme Court to repeal race-conscious admissions looms large. Affirmative action is not merely a policy; it’s a bridge to opportunities once unattainable.

The court’s ruling, paradoxically invoking the 14th Amendment meant to uplift Black Americans, threatens our nation’s progress toward racial equity. As Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson aptly noted in her dissent, “Deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.” I shudder to think of the many high school dreams that might go unrealized as seniors seek college admission. Despite my abilities, my dreams would not have come true without affirmative action.

My parents sacrificed dearly to prioritize my education. Their dreams for me often meant forsaking their own. Days would pass without seeing my father, who drove a taxi to fund our schooling. The physical toll on him was almost as taxing as the emotional impact his absence had on me. Still, I could not understand the point of educational pursuits until I encountered external affirmation that educational goals could be for me, too.

At St. Michael’s School in Silver Spring, my sixth-grade teacher, Diana Hellinger, glimpsed potential where others saw a troublemaker. Her investment propelled me from struggling student to one of the top two graduates by eighth grade, underlining an affirmative action principle: recognizing unconventional merit and giving it a chance.

Nevertheless, a competitive private high school in D.C. — a stepping stone to elite universities — seemed elusive particularly due to severe challenges with standardized testing. But a holistic recommendation from Mrs. Hellinger appealed to admissions at St. John’s College High School, which understood the need to give those atypical candidates an opportunity to change their circumstances. While I initially entered its hallways by a thin margin, dedicated mentors soon recognized and championed my potential. I had the opportunity to sit for honors and advanced placement classes usually held for the scholars’ program to demonstrate my belonging.

Whatever success I attained in high school, the Ivy League was still a distant dream, shaped by sitcoms like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” I had no legacy or roadmap, not to mention my unremarkable SAT scores. Still, these things didn’t mean I didn’t belong. Without the affirmation from administrators who understood that, I surely wouldn’t have been accepted.

In place of traditional advantages typically reserved for White Americans, I had affirmative action. It wasn’t just about equal chances, but about adjusting the lens to recognize nontraditional merit. Visionary academicians like Dean Janice Turner at Cornell University, where I earned my Bachelor’s degree; Associate Dean Cassandra Simmons at Columbia School of International and Public Affairs, where I earned a Master’s of Public Administration; Andrew Metrick at Yale School of Management, where I earned a Master’s of Management Studies; and Amy Sepinwall at the Wharton School, where I’m working on my Ph.D. (while simultaneously studying law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School) did not lower the bar admitting me but broadened their perspectives to acknowledge my ability.

Affirmative action didn’t just give me a chance; it recognized that I, and many like me, were deserving all along.

In 1961, affirmative action emerged as a response to racial injustices. While it evolved, its core remains: redressing long-standing inequalities for equitable representation. Black individuals faced blatant denial from white academic institutions based solely on skin color, perpetuating cycles of disadvantage.

Affirmative action’s potency rests in its attempt to correct such structural inequalities. Racial-conscious admissions is not favoritism but restoration. How else can one combat race-based inequities (now systemic) without being conscious of the racial inequities that led to generational inequality?

Critics argue that affirmative action sidesteps merit, but many experiences contradict this. While I was capable, systemic barriers could have easily sidelined me. Affirmative action doesn’t discount merit; it recognizes holistic potential beyond what’s traditionally viewed.

My story is not unique, but it may soon be rare. It evidences the vast potential unleashed when given an opportunity. Everyone with influence must elevate and recount their stories. In collective advocacy lies change.

As we celebrate college acceptances, look around and ask: who might be missing in the coming years? Which potential luminaries, leaders, and change-makers might be left behind? The Supreme Court’s repeal isn’t just a policy shift; it’s a collective dream deferred. While today we celebrate new beginnings, let us also fiercely protect the promise of tomorrow.

Olamide Dozier-Williams (olamide@penncareylaw.upenn.edu) is a doctoral student at the Wharton School and a law student at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.