“Tanisha” is a wonderful young lady who has been in SCO’s Foster Care program since 2014. Having excelled academically, Tanisha was assigned an SCO College Specialist to help her apply for colleges, financial aid, scholarships, grants and other educational supports. Last fall, Tanisha was accepted into Hunter College where she is currently pursuing a teaching degree. She is part of the Administration for Children’s Services Dorm Project at Hunter that provides tutoring, one-on-one support and the opportunity to live in a dorm on campus.
Tanisha is doing great. She earned a 3.4 GPA in the fall and has been working part-time to help pay bills. Despite her success, she was still a bit anxious when registering for the spring semester, so she turned back to her SCO College Specialist for guidance and support. Feeling better prepared, Tanisha just finished up another successful semester and plans to continue working over the summer break.
We’re proud of Tanisha and all that she’s already accomplished. Bright, kind and well-rounded, Tanisha is a pleasure for staff to work with and we’re sure she’ll do well in her career and in life.
I entered foster care at 16 years old and was placed in the home of “Aunt” Nessa, as I liked to call her. Few people knew of my situation; it was our little secret. I was embarrassed by the family dysfunction that led me to this strange place in my life, and with the support of my SCO caseworkers, I realized that education was my way out.
My goal was to attend Spelman College. I faced some naysayers; guidance counselors who said it was too expensive, others who felt I would never get in. But my SCO caseworkers and staff supported my decision. They stayed on top of me, making sure I filled out every document and scholarship. It was the staff’s unwavering support and positive reinforcement that sustained me.
I was accepted to Spelman with scholarships from several organizations as well as financial support from SCO’s education and permanency program, which helped me afford my housing.
But that was just the start of my journey. During summer break, I earned an internship volunteering with foster youth and their families through AmeriCorps that changed my life. I didn’t want any special treatment, so no one at my job was aware of my status as a foster youth. But as I worked in the family visiting room, much like a fly on the wall, I watched young people about my age visiting with the children they had lost custody of, some pregnant again. I saw a vicious cycle happening before my eyes.
It was that summer I realized that as a woman of color, as a foster youth, and as a human being who just cares, it would be a disservice if I didn’t take advantage of my unique pairing of lived experiences and desire to affect change.
Today, I am at Teachers College Columbia University earning my Masters in Clinical Psychology on a full scholarship, so that I, too, can be a source of support for youth in need.
Please complete this form to register for in-person training. Refer to the monthly training calendar on the SCO website for course name, location and date. You may also register by calling 718.674.7833.
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