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Fostering Support, an event hosted by the Foster Care Alumni Association of America (FCAA), took place at Eastview Campus, on Thursday, Nov. 20, . This event, created by Dr. Kathleen Christensen, vice president for Student Success and Support Systems, celebrated the creation of FCAA and the success of increasing awareness about higher education to Foster Care Alumni students. Since beginning in 2006, FCAA enrollment has increased by 33 percent.
"I've been advising for 13 years, and I like seeing students fulfill their dreams," said Lee Reichardt, Campus Champion for Northridge campus.
A Campus Champion is a mentor that helps foster care alumni in getting their applications in, advising on courses, and assisting in completing the tuition waiver.
The tuition waver takes care of all the tuition for young adults leaving foster care and entering college between the ages of 18 and 21.
The tuition waiver is called the Education Training Voucher (ETV) and is awarded by Texas, through the Texas Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS), for up to $5,000 per year.
"I actually started working with Child Protective Services in 1986, and at the time I started working, I saw a system that didn't have a lot of services to assist young folk that were leaving foster care. We still have a ways to go as far as getting services to young people, but we're way ahead of where we were 20 years ago," David Smith, a program specialist at DFPS, said.
Refreshments were provided and Dr. Christensen began the event by introducing Campus Champions, a few district judges that were in attendance, and students of the program that have succeeded above and beyond the obstacles of foster care life.
"I found there was always more to do, more to plan. We're spreading the word in Texas and also nationally. Our program has been recognized," said Dr. Christensen from the podium.
A short video was then shown of the Raise Me Up campaign that attempts to raise public awareness of foster care through commercials that highlight the differences a person can make in the life of a child.
Outreach Coordinator Loretta Edelen then brought FCAA students Sharon Phillips, Zarina Aripova, and John Mathis-Howard on stage in order to "share a glimpse of their world with us."
Phillips spoke first. "What do you see when you look at me? I see a young student that has finally gotten her stuff together...I see a young women on a mission and nothing is going to stop her...two years ago it wasn't like this at all, it was a lot of unpieced together puzzle pieces."
Zarina Aripova spoke next and talked about coming to America from another country and entering foster care immediately.
"I did go through some obstacles. I lived in El Paso...from Russia to El Paso," said Aripova.
John Mathis-Howard was the last alumni to speak, and he shared his experiences of being incarcerated for a long time in his youth, then stabilizing after he became the father of a little girl whose mother walked out on him.
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