The more people told Richardo (Ricky) Bambury he wasn’t cut out for college, the better his essays got. Ricky knew he would thrive in college, but he wasn’t getting the support from his high school to make it a reality. The discouragement was starting to feel pretty heavy.
The positivity came when Ricky got involved with College Track his Freshman year. College Track is a college completion program that offers mentorship and support to students from underserved communities. It offers everything from leadership training and scholarship assistance, to ACT prep and encouragement along the way. They knew Ricky had big ideas and the skills, and so they gave him the tools he needed to reach the next level.
At #collegetrack we have 5 core values we stand by. The 1st is #committment. We know every CT scholar can make it to & through college. pic.twitter.com/WpPLvCy6Vr
— College Track (@collegetrack) June 30, 2017
He got into every college he applied to. Now, he’s a Sophomore at University of Colorado, Boulder, and director of finance at the Black Student Alliance (BSA). The goal of BSA is to bring the POC experience on campus into conversations, and he’s even spearheading diversity training for professors.
Ricky understands that everyday work towards social justice is a big factor in our overall march towards justice and equality.
“The truth is, you cannot separate what is happening across our nation from what is happening on our college campuses,” he says.
Here’s to the allies helping all of us level-up, and to the power of personal experience to create change.
Ready for more? Here’s another organization working to shift the education system and make it more accessible for everyone.
