“They’re alone in the world when the odds are stacked against them,” Seita says.
One Michigan university has answered the call. Starting in the fall of 2008, Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo will provide a full-tuition scholarship for any foster care youth who pays for their room and board with federal grants. The room and board payment, “meets the university’s needs,” says Mark Delorey, director of financial aid and scholarships, and “allows us to put together a program with tremendous benefits.” Some of those benefits: dorms that are open during university holidays, on-campus mentoring, and an administration that’s sensitive to their needs and concerns.
Ultimately, Delorey wants to provide foster youth with the support needed to graduate on time. “Historically this group has had a lot of difficulties in persisting through college,” says Delorey. “By making sure that the most vulnerable students have the environment to be successful, we’re making sure that everybody is getting the support they need.”
Called the Seita Scholarship, Western Michigan’s new program is named for John Seita, who grew up in foster care and understands the challenges foster youth face as they ‘age out’ of the system.
Seita says helping foster youth access college is not an issue of charity, but of campus diversity. Foster youth are a culturally distinct group and their experiences create a unique way of viewing and dealing with the world, says Seita. Addressing foster youth can impact the university as a whole.
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