Calvin Yang, 21, joined the advocacy group Students for Fair Admissions in suing Harvard, alleging that the school’s race-conscious admissions practices systemically disadvantage Asian applicants. (The group also filed a complaint against the University of North Carolina.) After the US Supreme Court found in the group’s favor Thursday, Yang tells Rikki Schlott why the fight was worth it.
I had a 3.9 GPA, a 1550 SAT score, two varsity sports, my own political policy startup and a spot on Canada’s 30 Under 30 list when I applied to Harvard.
It was my dream school. And, when I was rejected, I couldn’t help but wonder whether my skin color was the reason why.
That’s why I joined Students for Fair Admissions in their case against Harvard University, seeking to overturn race-conscious admissions practices that I believe disadvantage Asian college applicants like me.
Finally, two years later, we just emerged victorious in the Supreme Court.
While I was thrilled when I got the news that the court had ruled that the Harvard and University of North Carolina’s affirmative action programs were in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and federal civil rights law, I’m not all that surprised.
The court has sided with us and affirmed that Asian Americans are routinely being penalized because their last name is Kim or Lee.
I believe affirmative action is a well-intentioned idea that is poorly executed in reality. I appreciate the desire to incubate a diverse generation of America’s future leaders, but, at the same time, the current system hurts Asian applicants. And that is just a fact.
When I was applying to college in 2020, I did everything I could to appear “less Asian” on my applications. I even glossed over the fact that I was a very talented piano player because I was afraid it might strike an admissions officer as too stereotypical.
The fact that our skin color is a disadvantage in the application process is just an open secret in the Asian American community. I constantly hear from high-school students who reach out to me concerned about their admissions prospects because of their ethnicity.
Every online forum or parent group chat for families in the college application process is filled with tips on how to make your application seem less Asian. That’s just so sad.
But all of that is going to change now, thanks to the Supreme Court.
We still don’t know exactly how the colleges are going to change their admissions practices in response to this ruling, but there’s no question in my mind that it will bring about more equity.
https://nypost.com/2023/06/29/why-i-helped-strike-down-affirmative-action-in-the-supreme-court/