This dissertation investigates the perceptions of students who graduated from Colégio Pedro II about their school experience at this institution. The research adopted a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with students who graduated from Colégio Pedro II between 2000 and 2023, triangulating the information with that obtained from the institutional website and in dialogue with the bibliographical review of academic research carried out on the Colégio. Graduates were selected for the interviews using the so-called snowball technique, a non-probabilistic sample in which the initial participants in the interviews indicate other new participants. The analysis considers references in the fields of the Sociology of Education, the Sociology of Youth and studies on Affirmative Action. The aim was to understand how the implementation of affirmative action policies has altered the dynamics of distribution and recognition in the relationships between students and between them and other school actors, developing an analysis of their perceptions of their school experience at the school. The interviewees were from different backgrounds (previous schooling and place of residence) who entered different units (campuses) at different times but had in common that they were attending public universities. Analyzing the data allowed to understand the students perceptions of their daily school life at Colégio Pedro II, their relationships with teachers, classmates and managers. One of the aspects emphasized by the graduates was their perceptions of diversity and their interpretations of the paths and possibilities provided by their schooling at Colégio Pedro II.