It was his first day of class at Grand Rapids Community College, and Rupert, 20, was excited to be starting school, a path he hopes will lead to a career in computer networking.
But Rupert, who is black, also remembers feeling nervous on that August morning.
He knew that statistics painted a less than flattering picture of his chance of succeeding in college, and Rupert wondered whether he had what it takes to thrive where others have traditionally failed.
“I was excited,” recalled Rupert, who graduated in June from Grand River Preparatory High School in Kentwood. “But I also knew there was going to be hard work in the process. I was like, ‘I’m going to do my best and fight hard and keep my grades up because I don’t want to do bad.’”
It's an issue black students are battling across the nation as they have among the lowest graduation rates of any demographic group.
