Ivy League acceptance was important to 17-year-old Rutvij Holay.
The pinnacle of higher education in the US is represented by these institutions.
He claimed that in order for him to live out the American Dream, his parents "started from scratch" upon their arrival in the nation from India.
He told the BBC that schools like Harvard offer the chance to "actually build our connection to the country and the chance to make our mark within this world.".
High test scores, volunteer work for political organizations, prestigious leadership awards, and the ability to speak five languages all appeared on his resume, giving him the confidence to apply.
"I applied to 35 different schools after going through the entire application process. I was turned down by all of the Ivy League universities, he continues with a sigh. ".
Rutvij feels that because he is Asian American, admissions officers discriminated against him, despite the fact that he is unable to provide any hard evidence to support this.
"The concern that myself and many other Asian Americans have is that when admission officers see Patel, when he sees a Lee, when he sees a Kim, or when he sees any Asian last name, basically the image that comes to mind is kid just sitting in his school on classes studying away math, and not doing anything that has an impact on society," he said.
This debate, which is at the center of a case before the US Supreme Court, could significantly change the scope to which universities are allowed to take a candidate's race into account when making admissions decisions.
The Civil Rights Act's affirmative action provisions, which were introduced in the 1960s, are intended to increase the representation of black and Hispanic students on college campuses. According to proponents, this ensures that the student body reflects the diversity of the larger population while also assisting historically underrepresented groups.
Race may still be considered along with other factors, such as economic status, gender, or religious belief, when evaluating a student's application, despite the fact that race-based quotas have long been ruled to be unconstitutional. Additionally, many schools favor alumni's kids, which some claim favors wealthy, white applicants.
In two cases currently before the Supreme Court, Harvard and the University of North Carolina are accused of discriminating against Asian and white applicants. In the upcoming weeks, justices are anticipated to issue a decision.
Affirmative action has been contested in court before, but this Harvard case is distinct because ethnic minorities are the ones who are challenging the practice.
The complaint was made by an Asian American group affiliated with Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), which was largely anonymous. Affirmative action, according to the group, promotes racial discrimination and has about 20,000 students and parents as members.
Being Asian American was found to be a disadvantage in the admissions process, according to a report by Harvard's own researchers. Additionally, SFFA claimed in court that Asian Americans received a lower "personality" score from Harvard's admissions office than other races, a claim the university disputes.
Edward Blum, a legal strategist and the executive director of SFFA, is the group's leader and has long attempted to legally challenge affirmative action. More than 24 lawsuits were orchestrated by Mr. Blum since the 1990s; two of them reached the Supreme Court in 2016 but were unsuccessful. The court now has a majority of conservative judges, so this could be his chance.
According to Mr. Blum, affirmative action policies are detrimental and polarizing.
"A black student at Princeton or Yale will know that he or she was admitted, not because of a thumb on the scale, but because of their academic abilities and their extracurricular interests," the author writes. ".
Harvard refuted SFFA's claims in a statement, noting that a 27% increase in Asian Americans admitted since the previous year. The group has allegedly irresponsibly misrepresented the facts, according to both Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
However, Mr. Blum's group showed the court a document from Harvard's Office of Institutional Research during the oral arguments that showed if they based their decision solely on academics, Asian Americans would make up close to half of the applicants.
Asian Americans are allegedly being used by Mr. Blum, a white man, in his most recent attempt to end affirmative action.
He has been charged by Harvard University with saying "I needed Asian plaintiffs," which he vigorously refutes. Claims that he is pitting Asian Americans against other minorities are branded as "glib," he claims.
Affirmative action is not considered discriminatory by the vast majority of Asian Americans. 69 percent of respondents to an AAPI data poll from 2022 support the policies.
Campuses need to be as diverse as possible, Harvard student Chelsea Wang, an American of Chinese descent, told the BBC.
"I don't think you can learn as much from people who are like you as you can from people who are different from you and who have had different life experiences from you,' she said. ".
She thinks the SFFA's argument is misguided.
"I am aware of the pressure that can occasionally exist in our community to declare your attendance at a particular school. But I find it a little sad that we are doing that and pitting ourselves against other minorities," she said.
Due to the fact that many Asian Americans immigrated on visas based on their employment and education, she claimed they had an advantage over other minorities. As a result, their children would have received more encouragement to excel in school than a student who was the first person in their family to attend college.
Listen to our full documentary to find out if the policies are a fair handout or a helping hand.
Affirmative action supporters claim that it can aid students in overcoming challenges that many of their classmates have not experienced.
When he was five years old, Jerome Fulton's parents—who did not complete high school—were killed.
He received admission to Harvard Business School two years prior.
The university touts the advancements it has made in broadening campus diversity. From 7 percent in 2020 to 12 percent in 2023, the percentage of students who identify as black or African American increased. Black people make up about 13% of the US population overall.
"I can't entirely blame that for anything. I'm sure I put in a lot of effort, but there had to be a set of rules and guidelines to make things more fair for me. ".
What is his response to the criticism that he was only admitted because he is black?
When I joined these organizations, I performed and competed at a very high level during my undergraduate studies, so I would respond, "So what? I received a top ten percentile grade in college, he claimed. "So even if you believe that I didn't earn my position here, let me tell you something: when I arrived, I consistently outperformed you. I'm needed here and my perspective is needed, so it doesn't matter if you think of me as a diversity hire or admission. ".
Regarding Rutvij, he did eventually enroll in a university, but he would not specify which one.
He claims, however, that he is content that affirmative action practices did not work in his favor.
As Americans, "We are fully capable and fully smart enough to be able to get into top colleges ourselves," he asserted. And because they perceive us as inferior, they shouldn't be handing us things. ".
with further coverage by Koralie Barrau.
