A decade after NYC launched its Diversity in Admissions program, demographics have shifted at competitive campuses such as Bard High School Early College Manhattan.

Bard now sets aside half of its seats for students from low-income households. But changing admissions is only the first step toward true integration. The larger question: What is being done to support these students once they’re enrolled?

P.S. Weekly producers Zoe George, a senior at Bard, and Rayleen Laloi, a junior at the Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts, explore how the school’s rigorous, accelerated program can be jarring for some. They look at how the state-funded Smart Scholars program provides crucial support for students from underrepresented backgrounds in early college programs. 

Bard’s Smart Scholars Program is overseen by Jasmine Coombs, herself a graduate of the sought-after school. She’s now Bard’s director of equity and inclusion programs. 

During her senior year in 2014-15, students of color made up 55% of the population. Now, it's 66%.

Coombs discusses her firsthand experience of needing a space where students are not just seen but also heard. That’s what Coombs has built in Room 204 for her students. 

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