How We Can Help College-Bound Latinos

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Following the US Supreme Court decision banning affirmative action in June 2023, we are all left wondering, what’s next? And how, in light of this ruling, can we continue to not just sustain but also increase opportunities for college-bound Latinos?

As someone who not too long ago gained admissions into MIT, I think that one thing that helped me stand out as a minority student was having a high school internship. Even before the ruling, high GPAs and test scores alone were not enough to get talented students into an elite university. Stu Schmill, MIT’s dean of admissions & student financial services, noted that every member of the incoming class of 2027 “meet[s] a common standard of academic excellence.” That holds true for any other American college.

To stand out and potentially increase your chances of getting into college, you must have interesting extracurriculars, community service, letters of recommendation, and a great personal story on top of being an excellent student. But when everyone applying for school has these, practical work experience can make an applicant a true standout.

According to the College Board, “working as an intern shows you’re interested in taking on responsibility and learning new things.” At the same time, the American Student Assistance notes that “ . . .there are systemic and structural barriers in place that limit access to internships for high school students,” which can make it more difficult for students to gain experience that would help them stand out in applications—especially when they’re minorities.

“Hispanic American students are more likely to never have an internship than an unpaid or paid internship,” according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, and it likely because we often have external work demands or simply don’t know about these opportunities. This additional disparity only proves the need for policies like affirmative action. But in its absence, the responsibility of supporting minority students comes back to the public, corporations, local governments, and practically any other organization that can offer these kinds of early exposure opportunities.

Companies and organizations can create internship or research programs to get minority high school students exposed to and interested in certain fields that they likely never had access to, and they don’t need universities or the Supreme Court’s approval to do so. This includes in the form of an internship, apprenticeship, research opportunity, and much more depending on the field.

I was lucky enough to secure an internship the summer after my sophomore year of high school and to work on real, practical engineering projects that exposed me to many engineering fields. I wasn’t just doing a project that somebody made up to keep me busy, I was a full-fledged member of the team. Apart from technical skills, I also learned important soft skills like how to prepare for interviews, create a résumé, and even write an email—all skills that first-generation students often don’t learn about until much later in their journey because they lack familial and social networks.

As for my internship, I returned the following summer and continued to grow my love for STEM. I believe these internships not only helped me stand out in my application but also set me up for success during my first year at MIT, where I am now a computer science major.

Because the ruling is still recent, many colleges haven’t publicly declared how they will adjust their admission policies. However, one thing is clear, many major institutions are committed to maintaining a diverse student body . .  . somehow.

So, in a world where admissions officers must attempt to be “colorblind” and while we wait for the official strategies of these institutions, we must all step up to mitigate the additional systemic issues now preventing college-bound Latinos from reaching their dreams, and getting exposed to programs and opportunities that will help them stand out in the hyper-competitive elite college admissions process.

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