Three first-years enrolled in Ogletree’s Freshman Seminar 45x, “Race, Justice and the Law”—Erica E. Aghedo, Keishana L. Howse and Angela C. Makabali—decided to join the bus trip.

“I wanted to know I did some kind of activism my first year, and I believe in the cause,” Aghedo said.

Dahm Choi ’05 said his aspiration to become a high school teacher motivated him to take part in the rally.

“I want to be able to tell my students about experiences like this,” Choi said.

Alejandro Yepes, one of the organizers of the bus trip, said the presence of many Kennedy School students seemed only natural.

“It doesn’t matter if we miss class. We’re people committed to school, but this is so much more important than class,” he said. “That’s the good thing about the Kennedy School.”

Judgement Day

Though thousands of protesters and two hours of oral arguments placed yesterday’s cases in the history books, it will be several months before the justices issue their ruling.

Ogletree said that an opinion is expected by June, and added that he is “cautiously optimistic” the Court will uphold the principle of affirmative action.

O’Connor and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy are expected to be the deciding votes.

Meanwhile, Gratz, the undergraduate denied admission to Michigan, said in a press conference after the arguments that she has moved on with her life, citing her recent marriage.

“What I’m doing is standing up for what I believe in,” she said.

Grutter said at yesterday’s press conference that she still intends to go to law school if she is admitted.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.