Jade is a high school junior and a full-scholarship student at St. Francis, an elite private school in Portland. Living in a lower-income neighborhood in North Portland, she often feels isolated at her predominantly white, wealthy school. She is a talented artist who creates collages from everyday items, such as bus schedules and local newsletters. She also loves studying the Spanish language and hopes to travel abroad to Costa Rica.

Maxine is a St. Francis alumna and a volunteer mentor in the Woman to Woman program. Coming from an upper-middle-class background, she lives a highly resourced life that contrasts sharply with Jade's daily routine. She initially treats her mentorship role as a charity project to fix someone else while remaining easily distracted by her own personal drama.

Sam is a new student at St. Francis High School who lives in Northeast Portland. She relies on the public bus to commute to their elite private school and quickly bonds with Jade over their shared socioeconomic status. Despite their similarities in class, Sam possesses a very different perspective on racial dynamics and bias.

Jade's mother is a single parent who works as a home health aide for an elderly woman. She previously lost a hospital housekeeping job for stealing supplies to bring home. She is fiercely protective of Jade and constantly stresses the importance of taking advantage of educational opportunities, even when those opportunities feel condescending to Jade.

E.J. is Jade's twenty-year-old uncle and her mother's younger brother. He recently dropped out of college after the tragic death of a close friend and currently lives with Jade and her mother. He works locally as a deejay and sleeps in the family's living room.

Lee Lee is Jade's closest friend from their North Portland neighborhood. She attends the local public high school, Northside, and has a strong passion for writing poetry. She provides Jade with a grounding connection to her home community when St. Francis feels overwhelming.

Jade's father is divorced from her mother and has remarried a white woman. Though he misses important events like Jade's birthday due to poor planning or flimsy excuses, he encourages her to read and validates her desire to learn language.

Mrs. Parker is the St. Francis High School guidance counselor. She continually routes Jade into various assistance and mentorship programs, such as Woman to Woman, rather than nominating her for the academic study abroad opportunities Jade actually desires.

Sabrina is the founder of the Woman to Woman mentorship program. She created the organization to empower young African American girls, though her approach initially centers on teaching them to assimilate to middle-class norms rather than addressing their practical needs.

Josiah is a tech-savvy student at St. Francis. As one of the few other black students at the school, he stands out for his popularity and his wealthy background, placing him in a completely different social sphere than Jade.

Kennedy is a wealthy black student at St. Francis whom Jade secretly dubs "Glamour Girl." She is highly focused on her appearance and runs in the school's upper-class social circles, frequently complaining about minor inconveniences.

Sam's grandfather lives in Northeast Portland and serves as Sam's primary guardian. He holds onto many possessions in his cluttered house and observes the changing demographics of his neighborhood with a wary eye.

Sam's grandmother lives with her husband and granddaughter in Northeast Portland. She struggles with her health and openly expresses prejudiced sentiments about Jade's neighborhood during Jade's visit.

Sam's mother lives separately from Sam and her grandparents. She maintains a distant relationship with her daughter, speaking to her only occasionally and visiting once a month.

Jon is Maxine's unemployed ex-boyfriend. He is friends with Jade's uncle, E.J., and is frequently the source of distraction and emotional distress for Maxine due to their unstable, repetitive breakup cycle.

Mia is Maxine's sister and the owner of a local art gallery. She values art created by people from marginalized groups and serves as a professional inspiration to Jade.