Her mom wants her to transfer to the University of Washington. Instead, the African American teen is considering Tennessee State University, a historically black college in Nashville.
Many students of color start their higher education at community colleges.
But often they never go beyond a two-year associate degree, derailed by the demands of work and family, intimidated by the academic elitism associated with universities. Many just quit school, sometimes even before completing a two-year degree. The UW used to boost the number of minority-student transfers through its Equal Opportunity Program. But voter approval of Initiative 200 in the fall of 1998 outlawed the consideration of race in university admissions and some scholarships. For many minority students, the measure sent a message that they were not wanted at selective schools.