Ray PryorRaymond Pryor has always embraced his family’s mission of a life of service. During his time at East High School, Denver Public Schools’ largest and highest-performing comprehensive high school, Raymond has been at the forefront of closing the opportunity gap. As a male of color, Raymond was appalled by the small number of students in his honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses that looked like him. He was frustrated by watching his own community not access opportunities and resources that were available to them. This frustration sparked a passion, and he has become an agent for change in helping to close the achievement gap among his peers, the district, and even the nation.

“As I sat in my AP class as the sole African-American male student, I suddenly had a paradigm shift. I was tired of being a trespasser in a classroom that provides culture, academic rigor and excellence. I realized that most East students never experience the drastic disparities that come with our school’s abundant diversity, because they never take full advantage of it nor interact with students who are different from themselves. While my experiences in all sects of my high school have been enjoyable, it devastates me to see my peers fail. I refuse to let these disparities continue; they are plaguing and segregating our lives.”

He joined his peers, through a student-driven effort called Angels for AP Excellence to diversify enrollment in AP courses offered at East High School. In just one year, Raymond and his peers were able to increase AP enrollment by 36% for African-American students and 26% for Hispanic students. Raymond is the epitome of a self-aware and self-empowered young man using his educational experiences to advance others.

Raymond has shared his story across the nation, speaking at the Harvard School of Education, College Board National Forum in New York City, Princeton Symposium on Race, Denver Social Justice Conference at Metropolitan State University and the Colorado Legacy Foundation. His education in DPS provided him with leadership training so he could be a voice for not just himself but also for his peers.

Learn more about his story in the video below.