A couple of years ago, the story of Stanley Zhong, a whiz student with a 4.4 GPA and a 1,590 on SAT being rejected by 16 of the 18 colleges he applied to, made national headlines. If you have heard of Stanley’s story, you must know that it did not end in victimhood or grievances. Not only was Stanley hired by Google for a PhD-level position right out of high school, he and his parents have also continued to fight for justice in the court of law.

After a few years of searching and persisting, the Zhong Family has secured legal representation for ongoing cases against four of the 16 universities that unfairly rejected Stanley - The University of California, University of Washington, University of Michigan, and Cornell University. The lawsuits are brought by Stanley Zhong and members of Students Who Oppose Racial Discrimination (SWORD).

Founded by Stanley’s courageous father Nan Zhong, SWORD, an “all-volunteer advocacy group focused on stopping racial discrimination in college admissions through litigation,” is now seeking new members to strengthen its legal standing in the above-mentioned cases. Specifically, SWORD needs parents of Asian-American high schoolers (9th grade and above) who plan to apply to one of the four colleges but do not wish to be subjected to the unlawful admissions policies and practices.

Notably, a SWORD member will not be named as an individual plaintiff or party in any of the four lawsuits. There is no financial burden on members. SWORD is participating as an organization on behalf of its members who have been affected by discriminatory admissions policies and practices. While no individual member will be named, SWORD members’ experiences and information will be relevant to the cases and they help demonstrate the organization’s legal standing. While CFER is not directly involved in the lawsuits, our alliance building work facilitated key connections between SWORD and public interest law organizations such as the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is now providing legal representation to SWORD.

CFER has followed the Zhong Family’s heroic journey since 2024. During CFER’s 2026 annual conference, Nan Zhong received our annual “David-versus-Goliath” Award of Courage for carrying on the fight for equality and inspiring others to join the pursuit of justice. If you fulfill the requirements to become a SWORD member or if you know anyone else who does, can you please let us know so that we can connect you with SWORD and Nan as soon as possible? You can also sign up directly to SWORD through this link

Thank you in advance for your attention and support!