Making College a Reality for Youth in Foster Care

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Making College a Reality for Youth in Foster Care
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Who Are We?
Catalyst for CARE (formerly Georgia Association
of Homes Services for Children Foundation) is a
501(c)3 organization and has been serving
children, caregivers and families involved in
Georgias foster care system since 1996.
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Organizational Mission
To empower at-risk children, families
communities and strengthen the people who serve
them through Collaboration Assistance Research
Education
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What is Project Transition?

• A four-prong program developed in partnership
  with and in direct response to the needs of youth
  aging out of the foster care system.
• Purpose To identify and fill gaps in services
  available to youth aging out of foster care and
  ensure that every young person has the resources
  a caring parent would provide to help them gain
  the skills and knowledge needed to successfully
  transition into independent adulthood.

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Component 1 Scholarships
Excellence in Education Scholarship Program
Provides academic scholarships to foster youth
pursuing higher education
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Component 2 Information/Referral and Financial
Assistance

• Lifeline
• Provides information, referrals and emergency
  financial assistance for youth aging out of the
  foster care system

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Component 3 Mentoring

• LINC (Leveraging, Impacting, Networking,
  Championing)
• Career-based mentoring program for youth aging
  out of the foster care system

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Component 4 Recognition and Encouragement

• Celebration of Excellence
• Annual statewide graduation event honoring the
  academic achievements of youth in the foster care
  system
• June 13th at 630 pm at the Ferst Center at
  Georgia Tech
• Open to youth graduating from high school,
  college, graduate school, or GED programs
• Visit www.celebrationofexcellence.org to register
  youth

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Our purpose today
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Why Should You Make College a Priority NOW?

• 70 of foster youth say they want to go to
  college
• Yet only half graduate from high school (as
  opposed to 70 of the general population)
• And only 10 actually go on to college (while 60
  of the general population does)
• 100,000 more foster youth a year would be in
  college if they were going to college at the same
  rate as the general population

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The Biggest Barriers

• Lack of cultural expectation to succeed
  academically and attend college
• Frequent disruptions in educational experiences
  (65 of foster youth experienced seven or more
  school changes - and each move results in a loss
  of 6 months of educational progress)
• Perceived notion of cost of college as
  unaffordable
• Lack of personal support

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Interesting Statistic
Only 150 of the 3500 colleges in the US are so
selective that they turn down half of their
applicants. In fact, 44 of colleges accept
EVERY SINGLE APPLICANT! -Time magazine,
October 9, 2006 issue
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How Can You Help?

• College Prep
• Admissions Process
• Financial Aid

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College Prep
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Preparing for College

• Tell them they can do it set the expectation!
• Discuss the benefits of attending college
• Reduce educational placement disruptions
• Become or identify an educational advocate
  (guidance counselor, mentor, CASA, coach,
  teacher, older sibling foster parent, etc.(
• Be knowledgeable about services, processes, and
  resources related to college
• Connect your youth with foster youth in college

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Admissions Process
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Timeline

• Fall Junior Year - SAT/ACT prep
• Spring Junior Year take the test, begin web
  searches for colleges
• Summer Junior Year write personal essays and
  resumes, visit colleges
• Fall Senior Year get common application, write
  essays, visit colleges, re-take tests if needed
• January Senior Year download FAFSA and fill out
  its due in March!

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What are Colleges Looking For?

• A high school curriculum that challenges the
  student
• Grades that show a strong effort and an upward
  trend
• Solid test scores
• Community service
• Work experience (but not too much!)

• A well-written essay
• PERSONALIZED letters of recommendation from
  teachers and counselors
• Strong supplementary recommendations
• Anything special that makes the student stand out!

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Financial Aid

• Disclaimer! Georgia Student Finance Commission
  is the ultimate authority on financial aid. We
  STRONGLY recommend that you contact them for
  complete information at www.gacollege411.org or
  1-800-505-GSFC

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Types of Financial Aid

• Grants/Scholarships gift aid that does not
  require repayment
• Loans borrowed and must be repaid with interest
• Work Study a job on campus
• Most financial aid is awarded on the basis of
  need, but total financial aid awarded to a
  student cannot exceed the colleges cost of
  attendance.

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State Grants/Scholarships

• HOPE
• Foster Child Education Grant
• Accel allows student to earn college credit
  while meeting high school graduation requirements

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Update on HOPE Changes

• All changes effective May 2007
• HOPE eligibility will be determined by Georgia
  Student Finance Commission
• No numerical scale used for Standard of
  Eligibility
• Academic credits counted in calculation will
  include all credits attempted
• Only Advanced Placement and International
  Baccalaureate courses will be weighted in GPA
  calculation
• Weighing will be done by GSFC and will be uniform
  across the state

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Federal Grant Programs

• Pell
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity
  Grant (FSEOG)
• Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership
  (LEAP)
• The National Science and Mathematics Access to
  Retain Talent Grant (SMART) - new
• Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) - new

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Features of GAcollege411.org

• Personalized student planner/timeline create a
  profile!
• Information on Georgia colleges (comparative
  view, distance calculator, etc.)
• College prep test reviews and testing dates (also
  visit www.collegeboard.com or www.satonlinecourse
  chool.com for free reviews you will need an
  access code from your school principal)
• Common application
• Steps for applying for financial aid
• Loan repayment calculator
• Information for non-traditional students/adult
  learners

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Scholarship Resources

• Orphan Foundation of America www.orphan.org
• Adoptive/Foster Parent Association of Georgia
  www.afpag.org
• Excellence in Education Scholarship
  www.gahsc.org/projecttransition.html
• See handout for additional resources

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Excellence in Education Scholarship Program
Overview

• In 2006, the Excellence in Education Scholarship
  program awarded 108,000 to foster youth
  continuing on to college/graduate school
• We received 59 applications. 47 were complete
  and eligible for consideration
• 29 students were selected for scholarships,
  including 4 graduate students

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Types of Scholarships Awarded

• College - 1,000 a year for a maximum of 4 years
  of post high school education (lifetime maximum
  total of scholarship funds available per
  undergraduate applicant 4,000)
• Graduate School - 1,500 a year for a maximum of
  2 years of graduate school or masters programs
  (lifetime maximum total of scholarship funds
  available per graduate school applicant 3,000)

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Eligibility Requirements

• In DFCS custody OR placed at a licensed private
  residential program at the time of your 16th
  birthday
• Have already graduated OR anticipate graduation
  end of the 2006/2007 school year
• Continuing on to post-secondary educational
  program that is accredited and/or approved by
  DFCS
• Demonstrated financial need
• Willingness to participate in LINC mentoring
  program

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Commonly Asked Eligibility Questions

• Students who emancipated or adopted at age 16 or
  older are eligible
• You may reapply as a graduate student if you
  received a scholarship as an undergraduate
• You are eligible to reapply if you have received
  undergraduate funding at a lower level than
  4,000, provided you are working on a different
  degree (for example, you got 2,000 for your
  Associates and have decided to pursue a
  Bachelors)
• Students who have applied in the past but did not
  receive funding are encouraged to reapply

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Section I General Information

• Fill out completely. Contact information is
  critical - we must know where to find you if we
  have questions.
• SAT/ACT/LSAT/GMAT, etc. scores are not mandatory
  if the school you are applying to does not
  require them. Please indicate if school does not
  require test scores.

2007 Excellence in Education Scholarship
Application   SECTION I - GENERAL
INFORMATION   Students Name_____________________
__________________________   Address_____________
_____________________________________   City_____
__________________State____________Zip__________
  Phone Number_______________Email
Address___________________   Birthdate__________
___ High School__________________________   Colle
ge/University (if already enrolled)
__________________________   High School
Graduation Date________Grade Point
Average_______ SAT/ACT Score______ College
Graduation Date (if applicable)
__________________________ LSAT/GMAT/GRE, etc.
Score __________   Have you applied for
Excellence in Education scholarship before?
____yes ____no  If yes, when?
_____________________________


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Section II Financial Need

• We do take into account the cost of public vs.
  private education, as well as other sources of
  aid identified.
• The selection committee looks favorably upon
  students who have made an effort to identify
  additional funding sources beyond state/federal
  grants.

SECTION II - FINANCIAL NEED  To what schools have
you applied? Please indicate if you have been
accepted. Name______________________________City/
State________________Name_______________________
_______City/State________________ Name__________
____________________City/State________________ W
hat will be your major area of study?_____________
_________________   How will you pay for the
remainder of your educational expenses, not
covered by this scholarship? _____________________
______________________________________ ___________
________________________________________________
Have you received the Excellence in Education
scholarship before? If so, what year and for
what amount?______________________________________
_   List any other scholarships you have applied
for _____________________________________________
______________ ___________________________________
________________________ _________________________
__________________________________   List any
scholarships you have already been awarded and
the amount of the award Name of
Scholarship Amount _______________________________
____________________________  ____________________
______________________________________

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Section III Employment/ Volunteer/Extracurricula
r

• We recognize that many students have part-time
  jobs and that does affect ability to participate
  in extracurricular activities.
• It carries more weight with us if students have
  made a demonstrated leadership commitment to a
  few activities, rather than joined every club at
  school.
• We also understand that foster care often results
  in frequent moves/school changes, which affect
  the ability to work, join clubs, volunteer, etc.
  If this is the case, let us know in your essay.

SECTION III EMPLOYMENT/COMMUNITY
SERVICE/EXTRACURRICULAR   Employment History
Dates Supervisor Company Name
Phone Number hours/week  ______________
____________________________________________  ____
__________________________________________________
____ Extracurricular Activities _________________
__________________________________________  ______
__________________________________________________
__  ______________________________________________
____________  Community Service _________________
__________________________________________  ______
__________________________________________________
__  ______________________________________________
____________    Awards/Recognition Received
(School, Church, Community, Other)  ______________
____________________________________________  ____
__________________________________________________
____  ____________________________________________
______________

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Section IV - References

• Case manager contact information is critical. If
  we need more information on you, we need know
  where to find them.
• Do NOT use friends as character references.
  Your references should be teachers, coaches,
  ministers, foster parents, or other adults in
  your life.

SECTION IV REFERENCES   Name of DFCS/private
provider case manager__________   Case manager
phone number__________________Email_____________
___   Character References (include the name and
phone numbers of the individuals who wrote your
letters of reference for this application).
Name Position Phone Number   _________________
____________________________ ____________________
_________________________ _______________________
______________________

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Section V - Essay

• The essay is the most important part of your
  application - it is your chance to stand out and
  it carries the most weight in scoring. The essay
  is not about being a great writer - its about
  telling us who you are and what your plans are!

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Tips for Successful Essay Writing

• Tell us about who you are and who you want to be.
  Discuss your goals for the future and your plans
  for achieving those goals. Tell us why you think
  this scholarship will help you achieve those
  goals (hint everyone needs the money to avoid
  debt, so give us other reasons why you need it!)
• Make yourself stand out. The scholarship
  committee reads dozens of essays and
  applications. Find a way to help us remember
  you. Tell a story about yourself that helps the
  committee understand what makes you special.
• Do NOT recycle essays from other scholarship
  applications without tailoring them to our
  application. You can use parts of other essays,
  but be sure you address the questions we are
  asking you to answer.
• PROOFREAD your essay! And have someone else
  proofread it. Make the corrections, and then
  proofread it one last time! It is hard to focus
  on the real message of the essay when it is full
  of grammatical and spelling errors.

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Essay Evaluation Criteria

• Did you answer the questions?
• Do you have a clear plan for the future, or at
  least a clear plan for what your next steps are
  right now?
• Did you do a good job of personalizing yourself
  on paper and helping us understand who you are?
• Did you spell check/grammar check/proofread and
  make final corrections?

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Essay Editing Assistance
Email a draft a draft of your essay to
angelishea_at_catalystforcare.org it will be sent
to a volunteer editor who will review, edit, and
provide feedback to a student.
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Application Checklist

• Application form
• Your current high school transcript with most
  recent grades available OR a copy of your GED
  completion certificate
• Undergraduate transcript, if requesting funds for
  graduate program
• Copy of standardized test scores, if applicable
  (SAT/ACT/LSAT/GRE/GMAT, etc.)
• Letter of verification from case manager that
  states that you are in that agencys custody or
  verifying the date you were emancipated
• Two letters of reference on authors letterhead
  with signature across the seal of the sealed
  envelope
• Essay

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Ten Characteristics Used to Evaluate
Applications

• Educational/Career Goals
• Character
• Employment
• Leadership
• Extracurricular Activities
• Community Service
• Academic Record
• Other Financial Aid
• References (x4)
• Essay Quality (x8)

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What Makes a Successful Application?

• Application is complete with all information
  requested, including all attachments.
• Submitted on time.
• Typewritten if at all possible.
• Strong essay that conveys character and
  personality of applicant.
• Clear educational goals for future.

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Review/Decision Making Timeline

• Check our website in January 2008 for next years
  applications www.catalystforcare.org
• Applications are typically due in late
  April/early May
• Decision letters are mailed by the end of May
• Scholarships awarded at the Celebration of
  Excellence in June each year

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Keeping Them in College Once They Get In

• Get connected with appropriate on-campus
  resources (mental health, peer support groups,
  financial aid counselors, tutoring/study skills,
  student life, child care)
• Get connected with peer mentor preferably
  anther foster youth in college
• Get connected with an adult mentor
• Identify housing resources for school breaks

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For more information on Project Transition
programs and questions about youth eligibility
please contact Angelishea Ferrell, Project
Transition Director678-520-1969angelishea_at_cataly
stforcare.orgwww.catalystforcare.org