Activists and education professionals say social media, the growing mental health crisis among youth, and behavioral issues spurred by the pandemic all play a part.
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When Ariana Rodriguez applied to Colorado colleges, what stood out to her was how little she could find about people like herself a Latina and first-generation college student.
Campus tours and Google searches yielded scant information about how Colorado would embrace her, she said. She looked for diversity rates, programs, and scholarships.
“I didn’t feel welcome,” she said. “So why would I want to go?”
In May, Colorado lawmakers passed a law banning legacy admissions at public universities, a change that advocates said will help low-income and first-generation students better perceive schools as open to them. They also see the ban that will prevent colleges from favoring applicants with family ties to the school as leading to more conversation about how to get students to college.
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