Colter Thomas’ trajectory to Harvard University hasn’t been linear, but it was a direct result of being a Tucson Unified product.“At Tucson High, you’re exposed to so many different things and that, in itself, is an education that you can’t put a price on,” Colter said. “The diversity of students and the diversity of teachers, that opened up my world view and set me on a path of being more interested, more curious and more concerned.”
The 25-year-old grew up attending TUSD schools, but it wasn’t until he went to high school that a spark was lit within him. He had the choice between attending University High, known for its academic rigor, or Tucson High Magnet School. Colter chose the latter, specifically for the robust electives available.
“It worked out for me,” Colter said.
While at Tucson High, the 2018 graduate got into photojournalism. There, he got all the training he needed to be able to pursue a career in the field. After graduating from Tucson High, Colter enrolled at the University of Arizona. However, after attending classes for three months, he decided to withdraw and instead pursue photojournalism.
During the fall of 2018, Colter worked on political campaigns. After the campaign season ended, he found himself working on documenting migrants and unaccompanied minors. His work took him to Tijuana, Mexico, where Colter would spend a good chunk of time.
But then the pandemic hit.
Eventually, Colter found himself back in Tucson. Having grown up cycling with El Grupo Youth Cycling, a Tucson nonprofit, he started working for them as a coach. He’d help run after school programs about four times a week and eventually became a program coordinator.
But through it all, Colter was still trying to figure out how he could do more to help.
Throughout his photojournalism career, he saw photography as a powerful tool for change. But over time, he began to question its impact, realizing that capturing images alone wouldn’t alter the realities of the people he photographed. Instead of just documenting change, he wanted to be directly involved in making it happen.
“I went into photojournalism thinking that photos and stories were a medium for change,” Colter said. “… And I guess I got to a point where I felt like my photos weren’t going to change the experiences of the people I was working with. I wanted to have more impact than what I could do with photography.”So, Colter went back to school, re-enrolling at UA in fall 2022. This time studying History with the intent to go to law school. He’s not sure what specific area of law he’ll get into, but is contemplating going into public defense.
Yet, his love of photojournalism isn’t something he’s just going to leave behind.
Last April, Colter had a photo exhibit entitled “Infrastructures of Control” showcased at the UA. That same exhibit was picked up by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, where it was displayed last fall.
That exhibition, which was entirely about border surveillance photography, played a role in getting on Harvard’s radar. Out of the more than 2,000 students that applied, Colter was one of 12 accepted to transfer to Harvard University in the fall of 2024.
“I’m a good student, but not exceptional,” Colter said. “I think my ability to combine more or less artistic visual representations of things through photography is what made me stand out to Harvard’s admissions. So, in that sense, Tucson High helped me get to Harvard.”
Now, Colter is on track to finish his first year at Harvard – a cultural and weather shock for the Tucson product who worked alongside the border community for a good while. He plans on graduating with his Bachelor’s degree in Fall 2026.
Through it all, although Colter has captured an amazing body of work and has put in the effort to successfully be where he is today, he believes it’s a testament to the teachers in TUSD that helped make him into the person he is today.
“What made all of the schools so special for me were the people who worked there,” Colter said. “From the education I got and the care I got from these teachers, and how much they cared about me and my development, that really changed my life. But all of these extra things. I got so much help from people, especially at Tucson High, who went above and beyond.”
“It was the people there that made the places so unique and so impactful,” Colter added. “… A school is nothing without its teachers.”
