Blueprint Program final - California College Pathways

blueprint
for success
SUPPORTING FORMER FOSTER YOUTH IN HIGHER EDUCATION
CONFERENCE
October 23, 2013
The California Endowment Center
for Healthy Communities
Los Angeles, CA
COMMON AGENDA
SUPPORTING FOSTER YOUTH TO ACHIEVE
FOUR IMPORTANT MILESTONES:
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
Expand College and Career Pathways:
VISION
Foster youth in California graduate college ready to
thrive in the 21st century workplace at rates equal to, or
better than, the general student population.
MISSION
California College Pathways helps foster youth turn their
dreams into degrees by expanding access to college and
career opportunities.
2018 GOALS
1000 foster youth in California will earn a college
degree or certificate.
Foster youth will achieve important educational
milestones at rates equal to, or better than, the
general student population.
Build strong campus and community networks
with effective systems for coordinated action.
Strengthen Campus and Community Capacity:
Provide resources that increase knowledge and
capacity to support foster youth.
Promote Data Informed Decision-Making:
Develop an effective shared measurement
system that empowers stakeholders to make
informed decisions regarding policies, practices,
and programs.
Build Public Will:
Engage the community at large to increase
awareness, foster a culture of cohesion, and
mobilize public will.
Engage the Expertise of Foster Youth:
Create opportunities for foster youth to inform,
lead, and build effective educational pathways
for all youth in foster care.
CALIFORNIA COLLEGE PATHWAYS COLLECTIVE IMPACT FUNDERS
THE ANGELL FOUNDATION
MARY AND STANLEY SMITH CHARITABLE TRUST
DAVID AND EMILY POTTRUCK FUND
TIPPING POINT FOUNDATION
ANTHONY AND JEANNE PRITZKER FAMILY FOUNDATION
DAVID B. GOLD FOUNDATION
HILTON FOUNDATION
STUART FOUNDATION
WALTER S. JOHNSON FOUNDATION
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CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
BREAKFAST AND REGISTRATION
SESSION B
1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
B1. Surpassing Employers’ Expectations:
Preparing Alumni of Care for Careers
and Beyond
WELCOME AND OPENING
|TAHOE ROOM|
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Master of Ceremonies – David Ambroz, Disney /
ABC Television Group
|YOSEMITE HALL|
SESSION A
B2. Education Rights of Foster Youth: Paving the
Way to High School Graduation
|BIG SUR ROOM|
B3. Utilizing Appreciative Advising for First
Generation and Foster Youth Students
|MOJAVE ROOM|
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
A1. The Capacity to Endure - How to Embed
Sustainability in Your Work
|MOJAVE ROOM|
A2. Partnerships with Schools of Social Work
|CABRILLO ROOM|
A3. New Housing Options Through Extended
Foster Care
|BIG SUR ROOM|
A4. Actionable Data to Increase College and
Career Success for Foster Youth
|YOSEMITE HALL|
A5. Head in the Game: Managing Anxiety, Stress
and Mental Health While Pursuing
Higher Education
|CATALINA ROOM|
A6. Navigating Transitions To Higher Education
|REDWOOD ROOM|
LUNCH PROGRAM
B4. Promising Pathways - Understanding the
Value of 2-Year Degrees and Stackable
Certificates
|CATALINA ROOM|
B5. Beyond a BA: How the UC Davis Guardian
Professions Program Can Help Foster Youth
Pursue Graduate Education
|CABRILLO ROOM|
B6. Helping Foster Youth Access Higher Education
|REDWOOD ROOM|
SESSION C
3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
C1. Fostering Success Coaching: Effective
Partnering with Students from Foster Care
|REDWOOD ROOM|
C2. Youth with Disabilities in Transition-SSA
Applications & Work Incentives
|BIG SUR ROOM|
12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
C3. Personal and Professional Success: Partnering
with your Campus Career Center
Keynote Speaker – Father Gregory Boyle, Homeboy
Industries
C4. Conquering Common Roadblocks to Education
Success
|MOJAVE ROOM|
|YOSEMITE HALL|
|YOSEMITE HALL|
C5. Higher Ed Sexuality and Relationships
|CATALINA ROOM|
C6. Successful Media Engagement
|CABRILLO ROOM|
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WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
PARKING
The California Endowment
SESSION A
A1. The Capacity to Endure - How to Embed
Sustainability in Your Work
|MOJAVE ROOM|
Cheryl A. Clarke, Fundraising Consultant
Carol Davies, Career Ladders Project
Dione Washington, Los Angeles Trade Technical
College
This panel presentation will provide promising
practices and practical strategies to promote
sustainability of foster youth services on
college campuses. Panelists will share research on
sustainability factors, fundraising tips and current
strategies utilized in the field. This workshop is
intended to guide post-secondary educators and other
stakeholders on key elements of sustainability, including
short- and long-term funding, and will be applicable to
campuses at any stage—from those just beginning to
explore funding options to campuses with a great deal
of experience.
A2. Partnerships with Schools of Social Work
|CABRILLO ROOM|
Marie Busque, Silicon Valley Children’s Fund
Sonja Lenz-Rashid, San Francisco State
Xochitl Sanchez-Zarama, San Francisco State
Guardian Scholars Program
Denise Elliett Alomar, MSW Intern, SF State
Guardian Scholars Program
Finding the resources to support case
management and mental health needs of foster
youth can be challenging. This workshop will
discuss the advantages of working with MSW student
interns, how to partner with local schools of social work
to secure interns, and will illustrate two models that
have a successful track record of using interns to
support foster youth education. This workshop will also
discuss how having a faculty member from a social work
program can be beneficial to the sustainability and
success of a program.
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A3. New Housing Options Through Extended
Foster Care
|BIG SUR ROOM|
Alex Atkinson, First Place for Youth
Deborah Cromer, Alliance for Children’s Rights
Vanessa Gomez, Foster Youth
The implementation of extended foster care
(AB 12) presents a host of new housing
opportunities for foster youth who are
participating in post-secondary education. It is crucial
that those who work in education understand the
available benefits. This presentation will review new
placement options, including transitional housing and
independent living settings. It will also provide practical
suggestions for how you can ensure that students are
getting the most out of extended foster care.
A4. Actionable Data to Increase College and
Career Success for Foster Youth
|YOSEMITE HALL|
Ken Sorey, California Partnership for Achieving
Student Success
Learn how actionable data available through
Cal-PASS Plus can help to increase the college
and career success of foster youth in California.
Attendees will discover how to access early milestone
and momentum metrics data that support the foster
youth common agenda framework, and how to use the
data to improve programs. Early work on the creation of
a statewide foster youth data dashboard will also be
shared in this workshop
A5. Head in the Game: Managing Anxiety, Stress
and Mental Health While Pursuing Higher
Education
|CATALINA ROOM|
Timothy Bell, Foster Club
Lee Ann Phillips, Regional Research Institute,
Portland State University
When young people head off to college and
stretch their brains to build skills and
knowledge, it’s important that they “mind their
mind.” Ignoring mental health, including stress and
anxiety management, can sabotage the educational path
of even the brightest minds. This workshop will dive
into the specific challenges youth transitioning from
foster care might face while pursuing higher education,
and discuss how young people and adult supporters can
proactively help maintain mental health and wellness.
A6. Navigating Transitions To Higher Education
|REDWOOD ROOM|
Lynette Glinsey, Walden Family Services
Rachel Ryan, Walden Family Services
Elnora Thompson, Walden Family Services
Jasmine Thompson, Walden Family Services
Wendy Whitaker, Walden Family Services
The Advancing Youth Advocates will present
the William Bridges Transitions Framework to
assist young adults and professionals in
understanding the challenges all individuals experience
when processing psychological transitions that occur
from the point of change. Comprehending and utilizing
the Transitions Framework strategies will help young
adults to better understand and successfully navigate
their college or career tracks. The presentation will
include interactive activities and short skits utilizing the
framework.
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SESSION B
B3. Utilizing Appreciative Advising for First
Generation and Foster Youth Students
B1. Surpassing Employers’ Expectations:
Preparing Alumni of Care for Careers and
Beyond
|TAHOE ROOM|
Sarah Graham, Center for Career Success, College
Success Foundation
Riley Haggard, Center for Career Success, College
Success Foundation
Amanda Hataway Smith, Center for Career
Success, College Success Foundation
This workshop will focus on career
development and preparation strategies for
alumni of care. Participants will learn about
current employment trends and how to implement
models of service delivery focused on early awareness
and a train-the-trainer approach. This session will
highlight the importance of students’ career
development, resulting in knowledge of the job search
process, gained confidence, and the ability to
successfully transition from student to professional, in
order to make immediate significant contributions to
the workplace.
B2. Education Rights of Foster Youth: Paving
the Way to High School Graduation
|BIG SUR ROOM|
Paige Fern, Alliance for Children’s Rights
Daniel Senter, East Bay Children’s Law Offices
Only half of foster youth graduate from high
school and less than three percent obtain a
college degree. Lapses in attendance, changing
school curricula, and placement in unsuitable classes set
foster youth back throughout high school. This
workshop, designed for youth, educators, caregivers,
social workers, and agency personnel who work with
middle and high-school-aged foster youth, will provide
the tools needed to effectively and knowledgably
advocate for foster youth.
|MOJAVE ROOM|
Joe Murray, Florida Atlantic University
Tyree Vance, California State University,
Dominguez Hills
Foster youth often do not feel their voices are
heard during their collegiate experience.
Appreciative Advising is a strength-based
approach that is both structured and flexible. Students
are encouraged to connect their personal and cultural
experiences to their educational goals. The adviser
facilitates that process, but more importantly empowers
students to find their own voice. The workshop will
include exercises, case studies, video clips, and other
activities. Learn how this form of structured support is
vital for assisting foster youth—and have fun along the
way!
B4. Promising Pathways - Understanding the
Value of 2-Year Degrees and Stackable
Certificates
|CATALINA ROOM|
Theresa Rowland, Career Ladders Project
Verónica Sanchez Casian, Career Ladders Project
Current data shows that students who
complete associate degrees increase their
annual pre-degree earnings by more than
double after two years and nearly triple after five years
in the workforce. This workshop for youth, social
workers, K-12 personnel and other stakeholders will
present research on the value of Career Pathways and
how stackable certificates leading to 2-year degrees and
transfer influence lifetime earnings and career
advancement. Salary Surfer, the newly released data
system from the Community College Chancellor’s office,
will be demonstrated as a tool for helping students plan.
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B5. Beyond a BA: How the UC Davis Guardian
Professions Program Can Help Foster Youth
Pursue Graduate Education
|CABRILLO ROOM|
Arnette Bates, UC Davis Guardian Scholars
Program
Sylvia Sensiper, UC Davis Guardian Professions
Program
This workshop is for former foster youth who
are current undergraduates and other
partners who are interested in supporting
foster youth access to post-graduate education. The
presentation will feature the new UC Davis Guardian
Professions Program followed by an interactive
discussion. Through short case studies, presenters will
engage participants in program recruitment efforts and
show how they are supporting students through the
graduate education discovery and application process.
The discussion will also include ideas about how to best
educate foster youth about the opportunities and
benefits of graduate school.
B6. Helping Foster Youth Access Higher
Education
|REDWOOD ROOM|
Brianna Crone-Roberts, CSU San Bernardino
student
Michael Edwards, CSU San Bernardino, Guardian
Scholars Program
Daniel Harris-Lucas, CSU San Jose Student
Sara Gamez, CSU Fullerton, Guardian Scholars
Program
Michael McPartlin, City College of San Francisco,
Guardian Scholars Program
This workshop will inform child welfare
workers, K-12 staff and other foster youth
advocates working with high school students
about existing resources to support foster youth in
pursuit of higher education. Participants will learn
about the resources available both at 4-year institutions
through targeted campus support programs, and at
community colleges through the Foster Youth Success
Initiative. In addition, a brief overview of current
relevant legislation will be provided. Former foster
youth will also share personal recommendations for
helping foster youth access higher education.
SESSION C
C1. Fostering Success Coaching: Effective
Partnering with Students from Foster Care
|REDWOOD ROOM|
Maddy Day, Center for Fostering Success, Western
Michigan University
Jamie Crandell, Center for Fostering Success,
Western Michigan University
Courtney Maher, Center for Fostering Success,
Western Michigan University
The Fostering Success Coaching framework is a
holistic, student-centered coaching framework
that results in improved outcomes for students,
their campus and their community. Presented in
partnership with alumni of foster care, this session
highlights methods of teaching in a student-coach
partnership by building awareness, knowledge and skill.
Additionally, participants will learn how this framework
can be expanded to increase awareness about the
culture of foster care among campus and community
champions.
C2. Youth with Disabilities in Transition-SSA
Applications & Work Incentives
|BIG SUR ROOM|
Leigh Ann Newman, Public Consulting Group
Foster youth with disabilities can use federal
SSA disability benefits to help reach their
transition goals. This session will cover (1) the
importance of properly identifying when a youth
between the ages of 18 to 21 should apply for SSA
disability benefits; (2) what types of benefits are
available to these youth; (3) best practices for filing a
federal disability benefits application; and (4) SSA work
incentives for youth receiving SSI.
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C3. Personal and Professional Success:
Partnering with your Campus Career Center
|MOJAVE ROOM|
Karen Ravago, UCLA Guardian Scholars Program
Emily Ives, UCLA Guardian Scholars Program
Kaleef Starks, UCLA Bruin Scholars
How do we ensure that foster youth are
prepared for the workforce and graduate
school when academic, financial, and mental
health concerns are often more pressing? UCLA’s
Guardian Scholars Program recently hired a dedicated
Career Resource Advisor to support current and former
foster youth on their career journeys. This presentation
will include interactive discussions on career planning,
working with foster youth to enhance their
interpersonal skills, and engaging employers,
community partners and foster youth alumni.
C4. Conquering Common Roadblocks to
Education Success
|YOSEMITE HALL|
Sandra Jimenez, Public Counsel Law Center
Susan McClure, Public Counsel Law Center
While there is abundant information on what
students need to do to get into college, there
are few resources that directly address the
challenges that foster youth face in this process. This
workshop, facilitated by an attorney and social worker
team that specializes in working with high-school-age
foster youth, will help participants identify the common
roadblocks that get in youth’s way through the use of
case scenarios. The facilitators will then help
participants brainstorm solutions to these barriers as
well as offer insight based on their experiences.
C5. Higher Ed Sexuality and Relationships
|CATALINA ROOM|
Timothy Bell, Foster Club
Melissa Gutierrez, Foster Club
Going away to college presents a lot of social
challenges. One of the most difficult of these
challenges for students coming from the foster
care system has to do with sexual and romantic
relationships. Students who have missed out on the
opportunity to explore their sexuality and create
meaningful partner relationships often don’t know what
to do with the significant increase of freedom that a
college or university setting offers. Find out what young
people have to say about managing relationships while
staying in college.
C6. Successful Media Engagement
|CABRILLO ROOM|
Daniel Heimpel, Fostering Media Connections
Learn how you can use media to support both
the broad, national effort to improve postsecondary opportunities for foster youth and
your individual program. This workshop will give you
the tools you need to engage media outlets to the benefit
of the youth you serve.
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Father Gregory Boyle
Fr. Gregory Boyle was born in Los Angeles and is
one of eight children. He entered the Society of Jesus
(Jesuits) in 1972 and was ordained a priest in 1984. He
received a BA in English from Gonzaga University, an
MA in English from Loyola Marymount University, and
advanced theology degrees from The Weston School of
Theology and the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.
Boyle has taught at Loyola High School in Los Angeles,
was chaplain in the Islas Marias Penal Colony in Mexico
and at Folsom prison, and has worked with Christian
Base Communities in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He was
appointed pastor of Dolores Mission Church in the Boyle
Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles in 1986,
where he served through 1992. He founded Homeboy
Industries in 1988, and it is now the largest gang
intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the
United States.
Boyle is the author of the New York Times bestselling
book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless
Compassion and he has received numerous honorary
degrees, awards and recognitions. He has served on
numerous advisory boards including the U.S. Attorney
General’s (DOJ) National Task Force on Children
Exposed to Violence and the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) National Gang
Center Advisory Board.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
David Ambroz
David Ambroz is the Director of Corporate Citizenship
& Social Responsibility at Disney | ABC Television
Group. In that role, David leads DATG’s pro-social and
philanthropic efforts, aligning charitable giving and
other pro-social activities with the business and brand
objectives of DATG family of channels including ABC,
ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Jr., Radio
Disney, the OTV, ABC News, and Fusion.
Prior to joining Disney, David was the Executive Director
of Los Angeles City College Foundation. In that role,
he led all aspects of fundraising, grant application &
management, marketing & communication, alumni
affairs – and taught American Political Science. David
received a juris doctorate from the UCLA School of Law
and has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, VA.
As a foster care alumnus, David believes passionately in
advocacy on behalf of foster youth – most recently, he
received the ABA Young Lawyers award for advocacy
for that work. In his free time, he serves as a California
Child Welfare Commissioner, serves as a Commissioner
with the ABA, and is a contributing writer to the
Huffington Post. David co-founded the National Foster
Youth Advisory Council, helped secure the passage
of the Chaffee Independence Act, and was a founding
member of the Lambda Legal – CWLA Joint Initiative to
advance the rights of GLBT Foster Youth.
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PRESENTERS
Denise Elliett Alomar is a current SF State Masters of
Social Work (MSW) candidate. Her work experience has
been in K-12 case management and counseling services
for Contra Costa Unified School District. She is currently
the SF State Guardian Scholars MSW Intern.
Alex Atkinson is the Director of Southern California
Region at First Place for Youth, where he fulfills the
agency’s mission of helping foster youth develop the
skills to build a foundation for making a successful
transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood.
Atkinson is responsible for the programmatic results,
staff management, fundraising, partner cultivation,
and public relations for the Los Angeles office. Prior to
this role, he was the director of programs at First Place
for Youth in Northern California. Overall, Atkinson has
worked with transition age youth both in and out of
foster care for more than 20 years.
Arnette Bates is the EOP/
Guardian Scholars Director with
the University of California at
Davis. She has a proven track
record of more than 20 years of
successful program development
and administration and has
worked with the UC Davis
Guardian Scholars Program since
its inception in 2007.
Timothy Bell, Project
Coordinator with FosterClub,
supports foster youth with leadership development and
by influencing policy and practices across the country.
Bell coordinates the National Foster Youth and Alumni
Policy Council, the Young Adult Training and Technical
Assistance Network, FosterClub’s Outstanding Young
Leaders Program, FosterClub’s All-Star Internship
Program, as well as Washington State’s Foster Youth
Advisory Board, Passion to Action. Having gone from
a history of foster care and homelessness as a child to
graduating college and working as an advocate in the
foster care community, Bell is proud to join efforts to
support young people through the higher education
process.
Marie-Christine Busque, LCSW, PPSC, is the Program
Manager for the High School Roadmap to Independence
program at the Silicon Valley Children’s Fund in Santa
Clara County, where she has worked since 2010. Busque
is a licensed clinical social worker with a school social
work credential, and has extensive experience in foster
care, the supervision of interns, special education, and
mental health. Additionally, Busque has taught at San
Jose State University.
Cheryl A. Clarke, JD, is a nationally known author,
trainer and consultant. She is the author of Storytelling
for Grantseekers: A Guide to Creative Nonprofit
Fundraising and co-author of Grant Proposal Makeover:
Transform Your Request from No to Yes. A naturalborn storyteller, Clarke effectively integrates stories
into her work with individual and institutional donors.
Her clients range from small, grassroots organizations
to large, complex institutions. Clarke has held senior
development positions at UCSF and the University
of San Francisco School of Law. She has a law degree
from the University of San Francisco and a BSJ from
Northwestern University.
Jamie Crandell, MSW, is
currently the Fostering Success
Coach Training and Certification
Coordinator with the Center for
Fostering Success at Western
Michigan University. She has
worked with the Seita Scholars
Program at WMU since its
inception, including serving on
the original student advisory
board, informing the program
development. After earning her
master’s degree, Crandell worked
as a campus coach for over two
years with the Seita Scholars Program. As an alumna
of foster care, Crandell utilizes her personal and
professional experience to make unique connections
and increase positive outcomes for youth transitioning
from foster care into adulthood.
Deborah Cromer, Esq., joined the Alliance for
Children’s Rights in 2012. She oversees NextStep, a
program that provides free legal services and transition
support to current and former foster youth aged 14 to
24. Prior, she served as a staff attorney at Children’s
Law Center of Los Angeles (CLC) where she represented
foster youth in Los Angeles County for five years.
There she also served as CLC’s education coordinator,
advocating for the education needs and rights of foster
youth. Cromer is a graduate of the University of Nevada,
Reno and Whittier Law School.
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Brianna Crone-Roberts is a former foster youth
pursuing a degree in psychology at CSU, San Bernardino.
She is expected to graduate in June 2014. Crone-Roberts
is an active member of the Educational Opportunity
Program (EOP) Foster Youth Program and participates
in community advisory councils, task force meetings,
and outreach to promote the program to current and/
or former foster youth. She previously served as a
member of the California Youth Connection, advocating
for children’s rights (more specifically AB 194) and is
also a peer mentor through Program REACH, providing
a caring and supportive role to current foster youth.
Carol Davies has a diverse background in capacity
building and development. She focuses her talents on
increasing the capacity of CBOs and colleges to meet
the needs of their respective stakeholders. Her work
spans from early childhood to workforce and economic
development, and she is recognized as
a generous mentor and advisor. Her
passion is embedded in increasing
opportunities for disenfranchised
populations—especially foster youth.
Davies is adjunct faculty at Fresno City
College, and has been associated as
both a Community College Pathways
grantee and as a consultant with
Career Ladders Project. She has a BA
from CSU Fresno and a master’s in
public administration.
Maddy Day, MSW, is the Director of Outreach and
Training for the Center for Fostering Success at Western
Michigan University. After working for several years
at a nonprofit foster care and adoption agency, Day
returned to the University of Washington to pursue her
masters in social work. In 2010, she co-founded the UW
Champions Program, a campus support program for
students from foster care. Day graduated with her MSW
in 2011, and in 2012 accepted her current position.
Day oversees Fostering Success Michigan, a statewide
initiative utilizing Collective Impact strategy to increase
education access and success for students from foster
care.
Michael Edwards is the Foster Youth Coordinator
of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at
California State University, San Bernardino. He earned
a BS in health administration and planning, as well
as an MSW from CSUSB. Edwards is passionate about
working with at-risk youth. He was a youth correctional
officer for the Riverside County Probation department
and later worked for Riverside County DPSS, Children’s
Services Division as a social worker. Currently, he
participates in a number of foster youth advisory
councils throughout the Inland Empire.
Paige Fern is currently a Skadden Fellow at the
Alliance for Children’s Rights, a nonprofit legal
organization that advocates for children in foster care in
Los Angeles County. At the Alliance, Fern provides direct
legal representation to high-school-aged foster youth on
a variety of issues including the right to remain in their
school of origin, immediate enrollment, and graduation
under AB 167. She also pursues impact litigation and
policy reform to ensure that foster youth have the
academic supports needed to graduate from high school
and enroll in college. Fern is a graduate of Georgetown
University and the University of Michigan Law School.
Sara I. Gamez, M.S. is the Director
of the Guardian Scholars Program
at Cal State Fullerton. Gamez has
over 13 years experience working in
education including as a high school
counselor and as the Educational
Counselor and Coordinator for
Renaissance Scholars at Cal Poly
Pomona. Sara’s passion to empower
youth, especially those emancipating
from the foster care system, roots
from her personal experience
growing up in an abusive home
and being placed in the foster care system. Sara is an
alumnus of Cal Poly Pomona and earned a Master’s
degree in Educational Counseling from the University
of La Verne. In June 2014, Sara will begin her doctoral
studies in Educational Leadership at Cal State Long
Beach. Lynette Glinsey has been part of the Walden Family
Services team since 2008. She has a BA in social
behavioral science from California State University,
Northridge. She works with transition-age youth and is
an expert on William Bridges Transition Framework.
Vanessa Gomez is 18 years old and has been in the
foster care system since the age of 13. During her
time in foster care, she lived in over a dozen different
placements and transferred schools countless times.
Upon turning 18, she exited foster care but then
chose to re-enter under AB 12. She currently resides
in a Supervised Independent Living Placement and is
attending Citrus College as a psychology major.
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Sarah Graham, Senior Program Officer, joined the
College Success Foundation in 2006. She holds a BA
in comparative sociology from the University of Puget
Sound, and also earned a certificate in nonprofit
management from the University of Washington.
Graham has more than 10 years of experience
in development, alumni services and program
management. Before joining CSF, she was the assistant
director of annual giving at Seattle University. Currently
she manages the Center for Career Success, assisting
CSF scholars transitioning into the professional world
while also collaborating with employer partners that
value the diversity and potential of these young adults.
Melissa Gutierrez, age 21, entered California’s foster
care system as an infant. After enduring seven foster
homes and three failed reunifications with her mother,
she was taken in at 17 by a school friend. Gutierrez
chose to appreciate her challenges as an opportunity
to empower a new generation. She
is completing a double major at San
Diego State University in sociology
and psychology, with a minor in social
work. She volunteers on campus, and is
applying to graduate schools for an MSW.
She looks forward to facilitating change
within the system as a youth advocate.
Gutierrez is a student, artist, adventurer
… and a foster kid.
Riley Haggard, Center for Career
Success Program Officer, joined the CCS
team in 2013 with a degree in political
science and communication from
Western Washington University. An
Achiever Scholar alum, he served on the
College Success Foundation (CSF) Alumni
Board from 2007 to 2010, as well as worked as a college
prep associate from 2008 to 2010. Haggard earned his
master of public administration degree from New York
University Wagner School of Public Service in 2012, and
became an investment partner in Haggard Houseboats.
He is passionate about creating opportunities for lowincome communities and is pleased to be back helping
youth successfully navigate their transition from college
to career.
Daniel Harris-Lucas was placed into foster care at
the age of seven, and aged out at 18. He attended City
College of San Francisco from 2010 to 2012, where he
was a member of the Guardian Scholars Program. He
then transferred to San Jose State University (SJSU),
where he is majoring in public relations and is an active
member of the Guardian Scholars Program. HarrisLucas has served his community as a mentor to children
in his church as well as to students in the Educational
Opportunity Program (EOP) at SJSU. He serves as
President of the African American Commencement
Committee at SJSU and as the Public Relations/
Extracurricular Director for Men Creating Change.
Amanda Hataway Smith, Center for Career Success
Program Officer, joined the College Success Foundation
in September 2012. A graduate of Seattle Pacific
University, she received her master’s in industrial
organizational psychology focusing on leadership
development and coaching. For more than nine years
she’s managed programs and coached hundreds of
students and alumni on career development strategies
to prepare them for an ever-changing job market. Her
passion is to increase career awareness and capacity in
others so they can succeed throughout
life’s transitions. In addition, Hataway
Smith maintains a private coaching
practice and is a certified crisis counselor
in King County.
Daniel Heimpel, journalist-gone-rogue,
is the Founder and Project Director
of Fostering Media Connections. His
interest in foster care began when, as a
volunteer coach for an unlikely lacrosse
team in South Central Los Angeles in
2006, Heimpel wrote a story about the
realities of being a foster kid in urban
Los Angeles for LA Weekly. He has
written and produced stories about
foster care for the Los Angeles Daily
News, Newsweek, the Seattle Times, the
Huffington Post, Current TV and the San Jose Mercury
News, earning journalism awards from the Children’s
Advocacy Institute, The Los Angeles Press Club and the
Child Welfare League of America. Heimpel is recruiting
an “army of journalists” who he hopes will cover foster
care with the same intensity he does.
Emily Ives is the Program Coordinator for both the
UCLA Guardian Scholars Program and the Veterans
Resource Office. She served as the graduate intern for
the Guardian Scholars Program while completing her
master’s degree in student affairs at UCLA. She spent
her undergraduate years at the University of Nebraska,
Lincoln and also has experience working in student
recreation.
|12|
Sandra Jimenez is a Social Worker at Public Counsel
Law Center’s Children’s Rights Project. She provides
social work support and advocacy services to foster
youth through high school and as they transition to
adulthood, focusing on education and transition success.
She currently runs a clinic out of John C. Fremont High
School for foster youth alongside an education attorney
as part of a multidisciplinary team approach. After
several years of serving low-income youth who were
gang involved, or at-risk to being gang involved, she
joined Public Counsel in early 2012.
Dr. Sonja Lenz-Rashid, LCSW, is an Associate
Professor of Social Work at SF State. She has more than
17 years of direct practice and research experience
related to at-risk youth and young
adults. In the last 14 years, her
research and publications have
focused on children and youth in
foster care, and those aging out
of the system. She has conducted
numerous program evaluations, as
well as quantitative and qualitative
outcome studies related to
emancipated foster youth. LenzRashid consults with county child
welfare agencies, private nonprofits,
and research organizations, and
is the co-founder of the SF State
Guardian Scholars Program. Courtney Maher, a Seita Scholar in
her senior year at Western Michigan
University, is majoring in family and
consumer sciences. As an alumna
of foster care, Maher is passionate
about improving outcomes for
students from foster care through
education. She currently works for the Center for
Fostering Success as the Fostering Success Coach
Training Student Developer.
Susan McClure is a Supervising Staff Attorney at
Public Counsel Law Center’s Children’s Rights Project.
She oversees a team of education attorneys and social
workers who specialize in working with high-schoolage foster youth, helping them with their education and
transition from foster care to independence. She is also
an active member on several countywide committees
that monitor the independent living program budget
and shape county policies with regard to transition-
age foster youth. She joined Public Counsel in 2008
as a volunteer, then became an Equal Justice Works/
AmeriCorps Fellow and Staff Attorney.
Michael McPartlin is the Program Manager for
the Guardian Scholars Program at City College of
San Francisco, and has been a leader in financial aid
programs for college students. He has held a variety of
student service management positions in community
colleges, including director of financial aid and dean
of enrollment services. McPartlin initiated and led a
foster youth advisory group at CCSF which culminated
in the creation of a Guardian Scholars program, and has
received numerous awards for his work on foster youth
alumni. With a BA in English from the University at
Albany, he has one year of master’s
coursework completed in clinical
psychology from Antioch University.
Karen Micalizio is the Dean of
Financial Aid & Special Programs
at Butte College. She also serves
as the Director of EOPS. Prior to
her current position, Micalizio was
the director of financial aid and
veterans services. She is the Foster
Youth Success Initiative Liaison
at Butte College and is a regional
representative to the California
Community College Chancellors
Office for this initiative. Micalizio
is part of a three-college team that
has recently been awarded a Walter
S. Johnson Foundation College
Pathways Grant to implement a
Northern California college network
to improve higher education
outcomes for foster youth. Joe Murray currently serves as the Director of
University Advising Services at Florida Atlantic
University. Prior to this position, he served as the
Director of Academic Advising and Retention Services
at Miami University’s Hamilton Campus since 1992.
He earned both a BS in engineering and an MS in
human resource management from Purdue University.
Murray helped to develop and refine the Appreciative
Advising Inventory and has been part of a national task
force aimed at advancing the concept of Appreciative
Advising. Murray has been a driving force behind Ohio
Reach, a state and national effort to increase access
to and retention in higher education for Ohio’s lower
income/disadvantaged youth and foster care alumni. |13|
Leigh Ann Newman is a Senior Analyst with 15 years
experience within PCG’s Social Security Advocacy
Management Services unit. She develops applications
for disability at all levels of adjudication and is a
subject matter expert in SSA disability eligibility and its
changing rules. Newman has SSI experience working
with: CA (6 counties), IL, NY, ND, WI, and WY. She
earned her MBA from Clark University, and is a certified
non-attorney representative with SSA, eligible for
direct fee withholding. Newman also has a certificate in
benefits and work incentives planning and assistance
from Cornell University.
Karen Ravago works for the UCLA Career Center. Prior
to her role with the UCLA Guardian Scholars Program,
she worked at The Walt Disney Company, consulting
on diversity outreach efforts for both internship and
full-time recruitment. She has extensive experience in
graduate admissions from USC’s Schools of Medicine
and Education and UCLA’s Graduate Division. She has
also worked in the career centers
at The College of William and
Mary and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Ravago
completed her doctorate in
higher education administration
at USC in 2010 and has a
passion for working with college
students, especially in the areas
of career development and
diversity outreach and retention.
Theresa Rowland, Senior
Director with Career Ladders
Project, focuses on large-scale
initiatives that help community colleges leverage
regional and statewide assets to prepare a diverse
and inclusive workforce. She leads several initiatives
centered on access to high-skilled, high-wage careers
with multiple partnerships, including instituting
Communities of Practice across industry sectors such
as manufacturing, transportation and health. Rowland
has more than 20 years of experience in K-14 education
reaching non-traditional students, displaced workers,
and former foster youth. Before joining CLP, she served
as VP of Economic Development at De Anza College,
executive director of the Occupational Training Institute
for the Foothill–De Anza Community College District,
and assistant employment coordinator at Long Beach
City College.
Rachel Ryan is currently attending California State
Polytechnic University, Pomona pursuing a BA in social
work. Ryan spends her free time volunteering and
giving back to her community. She has attended several
Transitions Framework workshops and presents her
experience in managing transitions.
Verónica Sanchez-Casian, Senior Program Associate
with Career Ladders Project, is a key member of the
Pathways and Sector Development team, contributing
to workforce development strategies that redesign
career and technical education and college and
career pathways. She has an extensive background in
workforce and youth development, especially among
traditionally underserved populations. Sanchez-Casian
recently served as a workforce development consultant
for CLP before joining the staff full time. She was the
program coordinator of the Alameda Transportation
and Logistics Academic Support Program (ATLAS) at
the College of Alameda, coordinating three job-training
programs that served over 200
students per year.
Xochitl Sanchez-Zarama is
the Director of SF State Guardian
Scholars Program (GSP) and
the Educational Opportunity
Program (EOP) Associate
Director. As a co-founder of
GSP, she works in collaboration
with the School of Social Work
to improve the outcomes of
current and former foster care
on campus with a clinical case
management service model (GSP
graduation rate is 85% after six years). Sanchez-Zarama
directs and manages campus support programs, which
share the goals to ensure academic success, encourage
campus/community engagement, and promote career
development for student leaders.
Sylvia Sensiper has been associated with the UC
Davis Guardian Scholars Program since its inception,
and is currently developing the Guardian Professions
Program. She taught a freshman seminar introducing
GSP students to the university and has mentored three
undergraduates. Sensiper also has extensive expertise
in studying the foster care system and was responsible
for the report “Alternative Proposals for a New Foster
Family Home Rate Structure in California” (co-authored
with Jane Mauldon, UC Berkeley). The report was
successful in arguing that rates must be raised, which
the state subsequently did in July 2011.
|14|
Daniel Senter, an attorney with the East Bay
Children’s Law Offices, provides direct legal advocacy
to improve the educational outcomes of foster youth.
Senter represents individual foster youth in education
proceedings including Individual Education Plan (IEP)
meetings and disciplinary hearings. Before entering the
legal field, Senter was a public school special education
teacher in Oakland, CA and worked as a nonprofit
consultant at New Sector Alliance in Boston, MA. Senter
holds a BA from Harvard University and a JD from USC
Gould School of Law.
Ken Sorey is a Project
Director for Cal-PASS Plus,
the California Partnership for
Achieving Student Success.
Cal-PASS Plus is a collaborative
initiative in which California
schools, colleges and
universities share student data
in order to track performance
and improve success from
elementary school through
university and the workforce.
Sorey has 20 years of
experience building business
and education partnerships and in helping public
school systems, schools and colleges improve student
outcomes and prepare the future workforce. Prior to
his work in education, Sorey provided marketing and
market research consulting to numerous corporations,
small businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Kaleef Starks is a third-year gender studies major at
UCLA and serves as the President of the Bruin Guardian
Scholars student group. He spent this past summer
interning with The Movement Talent Agency, and has
also interned with UCLA’s Daily Bruin newspaper and
Social Justice Academy. He hopes to pursue a career
in entertainment, public relations, broadcasting,
journalism, or marketing. Some of his hobbies are
songwriting, listening to music, blogging, and reading.
Elnora Thompson is an expert in the William Bridges
Transitions Framework and presents her experience
utilizing the framework to former foster youth, foster
parents, social workers, and other community partners.
Jasmine Thompson is an Advancing Youth Advocate
for Walden Family Services. She has attended classes
at Victor Valley College, and several Transitions
Framework workshops. Here she presents her
experience in managing transitions.
Tyree Vance serves as an Academic Advisor for
Student Support Services at California State University,
Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Vance holds BAs in
psychology and human development, with an emphasis
on child development. He
is an advisor for CSUDH’s
Male Success Alliance
mentoring initiative. In 2012,
Vance became a Certified
Appreciative Adviser and
a valued member of the
Appreciative Advising Faculty.
Vance is one of the first
Associate Consultants for
the national Student African
American Brotherhood
(SAAB), and travels to colleges
and universities around the
US to speak on its behalf.
He received his master’s in
education with a concentration on higher education
from California State University, Fullerton in 2013 and
plans to attain his PhD.
Dr. Dione Milan K. Washington has been the
Foster Youth Program Director at Los Angeles Trade
Technical College for more than 14 years. She currently
oversees the Foster and Kinship Care Education
(FKCE) Program, the Permanence and Safety-Model
Approach to Parenting Program (PS-MAPP), the Youth
Empowerment Strategies for Success (YESS) Program
and the Guardian Scholars Program (GSP). Washington
strives daily to create a community where each child,
youth and adult is encouraged, empowered, and able
to enjoy the safe, stable and supportive relationships
needed to reach their full potential. Washington is a
CLP consultant, working statewide to share promising
practices with colleges, universities, and their
community partners. Wendy Whitaker is currently enrolled fulltime
at Victor Valley College. She has attended several
Transitions Framework workshops and presents her
experience in managing transitions.
|15|
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Debbie Raucher
Alexia Everett
Colleen Ammerman
Nick Lawrence
Timothy Bell
Yali Lincroft
Ryann Blackshare
Ginger Pierce
Celeste Bodner
Theresa Rowland
Wendy Craig
Xochitl Sanchez-Zarama
Carol Davies
Sabrina Sanders
Betsy DeGarmoe
Jenny Serrano
Sara Gamez
Laura Welborne
Veronica Garcia
Devon Werble
Daniel Heimpel
Crystal Weston
John Burton Foundation, Chairperson
Foundation for Community Colleges
Foster Club
Fostering Media Connections
Foster Club
Cuyamaca College
Career Ladders Project
Orange County Office of Education
CSU Fullerton
Los Angeles City College
Fostering Media Connections
Stuart Foundation, Chairperson
Santa Rosa Junior College
Walter S. Johnson Foundation
Monterey Family and Children’s Services
Career Ladders Project
San Francisco State University
California State University Chancellor’s Office
Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services
Ventura County Office of Education
John Burton Foundation
Foster Club
Emily Ives
University of California, Los Angeles
Special thanks to the John Burton
Foundation for organizing this year’s
Blueprint for Success Conference.
The presentations from the conference will be
available for download at:
www.cacollegepathways.org
|16|