2018 MLK Spirit Award - Amrita Das

Amrita Das wants low-income high school students in Detroit to know there are resources to help them go to college. Das graduated from a Detroit high school and set her sites in being the first person in her family to attend college. She had difficulty finding support. Even her counselor discouraged her from applying to large universities. Community college seemed to be her only option. But Das found help at U-M’s Detroit Center, where she was encouraged to apply and even earned a U-M scholarship. Now she works with other first-generation U-M students on campus to combat social injustices that limit opportunities in communities like the one where she grew up. After graduation, Das hopes to work in higher education where the need continues even after getting into college.

“When it comes to inequality and social injustice, my experiences in high school are not unique. So many young people have no idea that there are opportunities and resources available to help them think about what they want for their futures, to prepare for college and apply for scholarships to pay tuition. I’m working to combat the obstacles that prevent low-income students and students of color from accessing these resources, and to create more opportunities. I’m grateful to receive the MLK Spirit Award because it says that the work I’m doing is important.”