“Prop. 209 was arguably the best thing that ever happened to the experience of racial minorities at the University of California,” argued Richard Sander, a UCLA law professor.
He said his own studies show that the initiative pushed UC to help boost the academic preparation of minority students, who now boast higher college graduation rates than those admitted under affirmative action.
One recruiting ground for promising minority students is Washington Prep, a campus in the high-crime, low-income Westmont neighborhood. The UCLA Black Male Institute sends mentors there weekly to meet with the best and the brightest among the school’s mostly Latino and African American students, who still tend to struggle with English and math.
“You wouldn’t have been identified to be here if someone didn’t see your college potential,” Tyrone Howard, the institute’s founder and a UCLA education professor told about a dozen students during a recent visit. “There is no limit to how far you can go.”
Joseph Diaz, a UCLA student mentor and biology major, taught Washington Prep sophomore Robert Couch how to organize his time by making a chart of classes, assignments and deadlines. He said it can be helpful to read textbook chapter summaries before tackling the chapters themselves.
Robert credited Diaz with helping him earn an A in his advanced placement biology class. Now the confident 16-year-old dreams of studying biochemical engineering, maybe at UCLA.