With Assistance from Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ebony L. Hall
For some foster youth, feeling as if no one actually cares about what happens to you in the long run is a common emotional factor. This factor includes people such as your caseworker, foster parents, teachers, or counselors. In some of the studies I have read, many teens report their school was a safe place for them to escape reality. This feeling of escape was common to me as well. When I was in the foster care system, school was where I could escape from the reality of being in the system. I could pretend like I was not in the system. For other youth being labeled was their barrier. Often times foster youth are labeled as “delinquents,” and there is a correlation between being labeled earlier life and that label becoming reality in your future. As a foster child, some people thought that I was just a "troubled" child and there was no "saving" me. For those foster child who pursued higher education, the largest barrier was the feeling of isolation. They were afraid to share the fact they had been in foster care, because of the labels associated with being in the system. As I grew older, I was able to share that I was in the system, but at times I felt isolated from others. I did not have access to the same resources as other children. I would often compare my abilities and accessibility to that of others. That loneliness leads to lower self-esteem and self-worth, unless you have certain support. And for some youth that support can be one person who motivated them and influenced them positively. I had at least one teacher who believed in me and her feedback helped keep me from doubting my abilities.
As I am about to graduate from college, a former foster youth, who was adopted I have been impacted greatly by the system. The stories of foster youth need to be heard and the experiences are so important in order to better understand this population. Brenda M. Morton (2016) conducted a study that “explore[d] the lived experiences of foster youth enrolled in a postsecondary institution upon high school GED or traditional diploma completion” (p 102). What I liked about her study is she specifically focused on the tools, help, and strategies college-enrolled foster youth use to support their academic goals. The study emphasized the resilience theory which focuses on strengths rather than deficits and on understanding healthy development in spite of risk exposure (Fergus & Zimmerman, 2005). She interviewed 11 former and current foster youth for about 90 minutes. The youth had to have graduated from high school, be pursuing postsecondary education, and had applied and qualified for a specific scholarship. She allowed them to share their story. After collecting the data, 89 significant statements were selected.
She discovered four major themes: family, school, community, and self-reliance. Within the family each participant had one specific foster parent that made a significant positive influence to his/her life. As it pertains to school, the participants saw school as an escape from home, not just a place they were required to attend. They also identified one teacher and/or a guidance counselor who provided them with crucial support. Several of the participants reported utilizing school programs to assist them in the pursuit of higher education. In regards to community, personnel from the Department of Human Services were identified as contributing supporters leading to academic success. Every participant faced challenges before, during, and after foster care, which is when their self-reliance was beneficial to them. The participants utilized their inner strength to increase motivation and self-advocate with teachers and caseworkers.
As former foster youth, we face significant barriers to education with mentors for their first year within a higher education institution and there is a great need to develop a peer support services, and implement statewide programs for former foster youth within higher education institutions. Brenda M Morton (2015) also conducted another study which focused on exploring perceptions of former and current foster youth about the barriers encountered during K-12th grades and focused on how they overcame obstacles to achieve academic success.
This study yielded 181 significant statements and three specific themes were identified: foster care system, school system, and emotional factors. In regards to the foster care system, due to experience, the identification of this theme as a barrier was the lack of trust with foster parents, caseworkers, and society. The school system was identified as a barrier due to concerns with high mobility and Individual Education Programs (IEPs). The foster youth shared their challenges faced in school due to constantly moving and having to catch up on credits in high school. As it pertains to emotional factors, participants reported feelings of disempowerment, self-defeating attitudes and anger. For those working with foster youth demands helping professionals to use empathy and understanding within the higher education institutions and intentionally work towards developing programs and alternatives to special education, to assist foster youth in “catching up” after having to transfer schools.
After learning from these studies, I know my experience in college preparation was not as difficult as those who are aging out of the system that may not have a support system to guide them through the process. The only reason I was able to apply to a school on time is because of the school guidance counselor who required me to apply for a college during class time. If it was not for that assignment I probably would not have been in college directly after high school. Honestly, I had an unrealistic expectation of what college was like; I thought it would be one ginormous party. As a former foster youth, I think it is important for colleges to consider this educational gap and possibly strive to make informative sessions that are mandatory to assist new students in understanding the college life. Ultimately one of the greatest lessons gained from reading thee articles was that even one person providing a nurturing and encouraging environment can have an effect on this population. I am making a decision to be that person to the best of my abilities. I hope others will read my reflection and join me on this journey of making a difference in the lives of foster youth.
Owner/Editor - Chris Chmielewski