Facilitating access and opportunity at Colby: Bunche Scholars Program
As part of its ongoing mission to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion, Colby has established various programs to attract promising, high-achieving students from underserved backgrounds to campus.
The Bunche Scholars program, named after the Nobel Peace Prize award recipient, diplomat, and civil rights activist Ralph J. Bunche, is one such initiative. According to their website, the Bunche program recruits a select number of students of color passionate about social justice advocacy and civic engagement. Participants in the program receive exclusive access to opportunity grants, civic engagement projects, and leadership development workshops.
“Being a Bunche scholar means engaging in a community of like-minded people who believe in social justice and equality,” Bunche scholar Kai Goode `24 said. “The group of Bunche Scholars establishes a platform for people to transparently discuss a variety of controversial topics, everything from race, gender, class, and morals.”
In addition to high levels of academic achievement, another characteristic that the program looks for when selecting students is significant community involvement.
“In high school I participated in a vast amount of community service within my own community and communities abroad. Through a variety of civic engagement in high school I was able to gain a deep sense of empathy for others,” Goode said.
The Bunche scholar program also partners with Omprakash, an organization that promotes social justice advocacy and civic engagement by offering a variety of social impact related internships and learning opportunities. Bunche Scholars are assigned mentors through Omprakash, who serve as guides and resources as they navigate through the program.
One such mentor is Jo Krishnakumar, who lives in Great Britain and is currently pursuing their PhD.
“I’ve been a mentor with Omprakash for the past year. I’ve been mentoring and facilitating for a while now, and Omprakash provided the perfect opportunity for me to get back into the education system through this mentoring process,” Krishnakumar explained. “I really enjoy working in support roles, and I find great peace in watching people do amazing things and being a part of their journey — it’s my way of paying it forward, because I have had some amazing mentors and friends to push me through my life with kindness and love.”
One unique feature of the Omprakash program is their EdGE classroom, an online learning platform that Bunche scholars use to engage with challenging political, social, and cultural challenges facing our world today.
“The EdGE classroom is a space that is created for Bunche scholars to come together and reflect, critically analyze and study their surroundings in a challenging and supportive space. It is especially created to think about big questions of race, inequality, justice, and the intersections that occur within these larger structures,” Krishnakumar said. “Mentors from Omprakash are there to facilitate these discussions and ensure there is space for scholars to be supported as they sift through complicated thoughts that they have to play with and unpack as Bunche scholars. Personally, as a mentor, I see my role in the classroom as a person who asks you whether you thought of a perspective that might move you out of your comfort zone — there should always be discomfort in learning, because growing is messy and uncomfortable.”
Indeed, part of the appeal behind a liberal arts experience is the opportunity to explore material beyond a singular academic experience, to understand the intersections across disciplines that exist not only in academia, but in the world. This sort of learning allows for college students to expand their worldview and grapple with their identity and place in the world, something that the Bunche Scholars program facilitates on a fundamental level.
“I think the Bunche program is really interesting for understanding a dynamic that exists in our country that is hard to personally feel depending on where you grow up,” Tegh Khosla `24 said. “For myself, my high school experience was like a bubble where I never thought of my race to be a part of my identity because I was never in a situation where that status dictated any sort of outcome. The most amazing aspect of the Bunche Scholar program is the idea of living through your peers. Learning about others’ experiences and how they handled certain situations offer great lessons and insights into your own life and as a leader.”
~ Hae-Jung Kim `24
