The Guardian Scholar Program was created in 1999 through a partnership between Cal State Fullerton and Orangewood Foundation to support foster youth in their journey through college. On Jan. 30, the program will be honored on its 25th anniversary during the Cal State University Board of Trustees meeting.
Support for foster youth is critical; roughly two-thirds of foster youth are going to be homeless within the first 12 months of leaving foster care, said Chris Simonsen, CEO of Orangewood Foundation, which helps foster young people develop skills for self-sufficiency.
Young people in California can stay in foster care until they’re 21 if they continue to meet with a social worker, among other requirements. But the challenges they face are daunting.
“The biggest issue is they don’t have that network of adult and family supporters to help them,” Simonsen said.If they’re able to graduate from high school and are accepted at Cal State Fullerton, current and former foster youth can receive a range of support as they step into higher education.
“Aside from providing the scholarship, we may also help with securing housing on campus as some students may not have a place to live once they begin their tenure at the university,” said Felipe Martinez, who coordinates the Guardian Scholars program, which has been replicated in universities throughout California as well as in other states. “We currently support 129 Guardian Scholars.”
Junely Merwin was part of the Guardian Scholar Program during her undergraduate years; she graduated from CSUF with a bachelor’s degree in 2019.
“I entered foster care at the age of 15, cradling my 1-month-old son in my arms, with no family support,” she said. “Throughout the five years I spent in foster care, I navigated through three foster homes, several high schools, and the challenges of attending college while being a teen mom in the system.”
Merwin is on track to achieve her master’s degree in higher…
Read the full article here