HOUSTON, TX — For high-achieving high school senior Natalie Greene, the overturning of affirmative action in 2023 has been a deeply personal barrier to her dreams of academic excellence.
Standing tall at 6’1”, Greene commands attention for her accomplishments. Ranked in the top 10% of her class with a 4.1 GPA, the Willowridge High School student juggles leadership roles as homecoming queen, student body president and captain of the Lady Eagles varsity basketball team, proudly donning jersey #24.
Born deaf and hard-of-hearing, she aspires to study American Sign Language (ASL) at a prestigious institution, hoping to create meaningful change within the deaf community.
The June 2023 Supreme Court rulings in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina struck down the consideration of race in college admissions, introducing significant challenges for Black students pursuing higher education.
Like so many students, Greene’s path has been shaped by systemic inequities that affirmative action policies sought to address for decades.
These programs helped create pathways for marginalized students to access higher education, with undeniable impact. In 1980, only 19% of Black individuals aged 18-24 were enrolled in college; by 2022, that number had risen to 36%.
Now, with race-conscious admissions dismantled, these gains are at risk — and the effects are already visible. Harvard University reported a 17% decline in Black enrollment for its incoming class this year, raising concerns about the long-term implications for diversity and equity in higher education.
“The admissions process has always been competitive, but now it feels like my background, which should be seen as an asset, is invisible,” Greene said. “I’ve worked hard to be where I am, but this decision makes it feel like I have to prove myself even more—just to be seen.”
Legacy privilege has long shaped admissions at elite institutions, and the resulting inequities are stark.
Research shows that 43% of white students admitted to Harvard from 2014-2019 fell into the “ALDC” category of athletes and children of legacy alumni, donors and faculty. A 2023 study revealed that 75% of these students would not have been admitted based on their academic merit alone.
Greene does not have this privilege.
“My mother is a media professional, and my father, a military veteran and registered nurse, passed away during the pandemic,” she said. “They taught me the value in working hard, volunteering and giving back to the community, and that’s something money can’t buy.”
Greene is slated to graduate in May 2025 with both a high school diploma and an associate degree in computer science through The Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) dual enrollment program.
Her college ambitions present unique challenges. She dreams of studying ASL, but only a few Ivy League schools, such as Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania, offer ASL programs.
Nationwide, fewer than 3% of colleges provide specialized ASL interpretation programs, making competition for these spots intense.
On top of that, Greene hopes to play college basketball. As captain of her varsity team, she’s averaging double-doubles and inspiring her teammates.
Yet, with fewer than 4% of U.S. high school basketball players recruited to college teams, the odds are slim.
Greene understands these challenges intimately. In 2023, she co-produced a documentary with her brother, “Hoop Dreams Deferred,” exploring the barriers faced by aspiring athletes like herself in the pandemic era.
“I want to be a leader in ASL interpretation, bridging gaps for people like me,” Greene said. “But the options are so limited. Add basketball to that, and the competition gets even tougher.”
In response to the Supreme Court ruling, many Black students have turned to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Applications to these institutions have surged since then, offering culturally affirming environments where students can thrive.
For Greene, however, the lack of specialized ASL programs at most HBCUs complicates this alternative.
“I love what HBCUs represent, and I know they create a space where students like me can succeed,” she explained. “But my dream program doesn’t exist at many, so it’s a hard choice.”
Despite the obstacles, her story is one of resilience.
“Growing up with hearing loss, I faced speech challenges and was teased as a child, but I never let that stop me,” Greene said. “I studied ballet, competed in oratory contests, switched to basketball—despite never having dribbled a ball—and became captain within a year. I also model, draw, play piano, compete in beauty pageants, and dream of becoming Miss America one day.”
She added that she doesn’t share her accomplishments to boast but to show what’s possible, presenting her disability as the driving force behind her relentless determination to prove that no challenge is insurmountable.
“Even without affirmative action, I’ll keep pushing forward,” Greene declared. “This is my future, and no decision — Supreme Court or otherwise — will take it from me.”
This coverage is made possible through the Ethnic Media Services / AAJC reporting project on diversity after affirmative action.
