About Initiative 81
Meet our Team
We are two students Kiran Herz (Left) and Jaiden Hwang (Right ) at Cherry Creek High School who started working on Initiative 81 during our junior year, and are continuing the project into our senior year. This effort is completely independent, meaning we’re not backed by any organization, and we’re committed to pushing it forward as a grassroots, student-led movement. We are also the youngest to get this far in the initiative process in the US, meaning we need all the help we can get to get the initiative all the way to the ballot. Initiative 81's mission is to provide a transformative learning experience that empowers students to become agents of positive change in their communities. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment that values creativity, innovation, and social responsibility.
Jefferson County Chairwoman - Isabella Urban
Isabella Urban is a senior in the International Baccalaureate program at Lakewood High School. A passionate advocate for educational equity and civic engagement, Isabella has taken on the role of Jefferson County Chairwoman Initiative 81. Although she will graduate before the initiative takes effect, it will be on the first ballot she casts when she is 18. Isabella is committed to ensuring future generations of students have fair and guaranteed access to Colorado’s higher education system. Isabella has long been active in community leadership through academics, student organizations, and public service initiatives.
Our Mission
We want to make college applications a less stressful experience for students. High school students almost always have college application anxiety, especially in our state, because there is no guaranteed path to college in Colorado. This initiative gives students a set goal to achieve to eliminate stress about college applications, while also leaving spots for students coming from out of state and who prefer the typical college application route. Our faculty members are experts in their fields and are dedicated to providing the highest quality education to our students. They are committed to helping students achieve their academic and professional goals and are available to provide mentorship and support throughout their academic journey.
About the Initiative
The main idea is to provide automatic admission to Colorado state-supported institutions of higher education (a fancy name for colleges and community colleges) for the top 10% of any Colorado high school's graduating class, determined by GPA.
This initiative also repeals a different part of the CRS making state colleges "recruit in-state students...[from a high school] that is a rural school or in a rural school district". We deleted it to remove redundancy, because our initiative provides this admission to the top 10% in every high school across the state, guaranteeing equal representation. Removing this section also reduces funding requirements for such programs by the colleges, freeing up more funding to improve our state college experiences.
The initiative also allows for up to 75% of freshman enrollment to be in-state students from automatic admission procedures, ensuring there is adequate space for students admitted in the procedures outlined in the text. It also allows for at minimum 25% of students to be admitted under non-automatic admission procedures, including out of state students and students who have focused their efforts outside of achieving GPA metrics.
Should in state automatic enrollment exceed 75%, the institution is allowed to decrease the 10% bar for automatic admission until the cap is no longer exceeded. For instance, if 85% of the incoming students would be admitted through automatic admission if they admit the top 10%, but if the top 7% per se by GPA makes it so 75% of the incoming students are automatically admitted, the school is allowed to change the bar to the top 7% in this scenario.At Initiative 81, we are committed to advancing knowledge and driving innovation in a variety of fields. Our research programs are focused on addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges and our students have the opportunity to work alongside faculty members on cutting-edge research projects.