{"id":9040,"date":"2023-01-31T07:13:49","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T13:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=9040"},"modified":"2023-01-31T07:13:49","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T13:13:49","slug":"uw-eau-claires-fostering-success-interns-making-connections-building-the-program","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-eau-claires-fostering-success-interns-making-connections-building-the-program\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Eau Claire’s Fostering Success interns making connections, building the program"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
In fall 2022, a team of UW-Eau Claire undergraduate and graduate students helped the university\u2019s Fostering Success program reach more current and future Blugolds who were in foster care or experienced homelessness as youth enroll and be successful in college. This Fostering Success leadership team includes, from left, students Molly Urmanski, Mia Johnson and Taz Smith, along with staff member Jodi Thesing-Ritter and graduate student Jessica Brooks. (Photo by Shane Opatz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire\u2019s Fostering Success program is making huge leaps forward thanks to a $70,000 grant it received from the UW System this summer, program leaders say.<\/p>\n

UW-Eau Claire\u2019s Fostering Success program \u2014 launched in 2019 by members of a campus leadership program \u2014 offers financial and other support to students who have formerly been in foster care or are experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n

With the help of the grant monies, the program is making connections with students in area high schools, making more current Blugolds who qualify for the program aware of what it can offer, and growing the programs and support it offers to students who already are part of the program, says Jodi Thesing-Ritter, executive director for diversity and inclusion, who oversees the program.<\/p>\n

This fall, Fostering Success moved into its own office, sharing space with the university\u2019s Campus Closet and Campus Harvest programs, giving students in the program easy access to clothing and food resources. The new space also gives the program a home base, which is helping to build stronger connections among staff and students, Thesing-Ritter says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working hard on a number of initiatives as we build a program that will help even more students enroll in and be successful in college,\u201d Thesing-Ritter says. \u201cSo many good things already have happened with Fostering Success, and much more is being planned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students leading the way<\/h3>\n
\"Photo<\/a>
Jessica Brooks and Taz Smith are among the Blugolds helping promote the Fostering Success program. (Photo by Shane Opatz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hiring students \u2014 all with ties to foster care during their youth \u2014 to help lead Fostering Success is among the best of the \u201cgood things\u201d the new grant made possible this fall, Thesing-Ritter says.<\/p>\n

The three interns and a graduate student all bring a \u201clived perspective to the program that is so important,\u201d Thesing-Ritter says. \u201cHaving them here to help build a strong foundation for this program is a real gift,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The internship team includes Mia Johnson, a senior psychology major from Illinois;\u00a0Taz Smith<\/a>, a criminal justice major from Green Bay who will graduate this month; and Molly Urmanski, a senior from Edgar who is pursuing a major in communication and a critical Hmong studies certificate.<\/p>\n

Jessica Brooks, a graduate student in an online social work master\u2019s program, supports the Fostering Success office as a graduate assistant.<\/p>\n

Urmanski was born in Russia, abandoned by her birth mother and adopted by a family in Wisconsin; Johnson experienced guardianship, foster care and, as a teen, became an orphan; Smith \u2014 who as a freshman was a co-founder of Fostering Success, spent time in foster care as a youth; and Brooks was briefly in foster care before she was adopted as an infant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey understand the struggles students with backgrounds similar to their own face as they try to adjust to and be successful in college,\u201d Thesing-Ritter says. \u201cThey know there are things they struggle with that most students don\u2019t even think about. So, they\u2019re excited to help us find new ways to provide the kinds of support and resources that will be the most helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building pathways to college<\/h3>\n

A critical part of Fostering Success\u2019 planning is convincing high school students who are in foster care or who are homeless to pursue higher education, Thesing-Ritter says. The student leadership team is already working with Eau Claire area schools to build those connections, she says.<\/p>\n

This fall, Urmanski worked with peers in a communication class to create an outreach program that took her into area high schools to share information about Fostering Success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to spread the word about Fostering Success,\u201d Urmanski says. \u201cWe went to high schools in Eau Claire and talked to students about postsecondary education and how resources like Fostering Success are available to them. It\u2019s a good start to building those connections with schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given their life stories, the interns are great role models and sources of information, Thesing-Ritter says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really helps to have mentors like Mia, Molly and Taz talking with high school students because they can show them that college is possible, and that we will support them if they come to UW-Eau Claire,\u201d Thesing-Ritter says.<\/p>\n

Johnson says when she was in high school, she was interested in college but didn\u2019t think it was within her reach. So, it\u2019s rewarding to now share her story with others in similar situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was placed in foster care when I was 9 and aged out at 18,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cMy mom passed away when I was in high school. So, going into college, I had no family support; I didn\u2019t even know how to apply.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a UW-Eau Claire admissions counselor who was visiting her high school told her about Fostering Success, it \u201cchanged the whole game,\u201d Johnson says. For the first time, she believed college might be possible for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many kids in foster care who don\u2019t have people to show them what\u2019s possible,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cI want them to see that while they\u2019ll have to work hard, college is possible for them. It\u2019s really cool to know that I can have such a personal impact. Just knowing that we can offer that kind of support and inspiration is super huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blugolds supporting Blugolds<\/h3>\n

Johnson also knows that while enrolling in college is challenging for young people coming out of the foster care system, adjusting to and being successful in college also is difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I stepped on campus, I was in love with it,\u201d Johnson says of UW-Eau Claire. \u201cIt felt like home to me right away and it still does. I love this place, the area and the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Johnson says, her first semester was a \u201cbumpy journey\u201d because it was hard to move out of foster care right into a college dorm. The social expectations and other pressures of college were stressful because they were so different than anything she had experienced growing up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re in foster care, you live in survival mode,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cWhen you get to college, you\u2019re still working to get out of it. It\u2019s hard to reach out to people when you\u2019ve never had anyone there for you. It was a difficult transition, and one I had to manage on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feeling overwhelmed, she moved back to Illinois for a semester, taking classes online as she focused on her mental health. When Johnson returned to campus for her sophomore year, she felt more confident and comfortable navigating the college landscape.<\/p>\n

Now, as an intern, she\u2019s drawing on her personal experiences as she considers how to help young people from similar backgrounds manage the transition. She knows many of the things that were hard for her are things that students from more traditional backgrounds don\u2019t even think about.<\/p>\n

For example, she remembers how it felt when her first college roommate regularly received care packages, encouragement and other kinds of support from her parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was happy for her, but I didn\u2019t have anyone who would do that for me, and that was hard,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cSo, it was really fun this semester to deliver midterm baskets to students in our program. It\u2019s a way to let them know we care and hope they\u2019re doing well in school. We included personal cards to let them know we\u2019re thinking about them. It meant a lot to us to do that for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interns host monthly \u201cmeaningful meals\u201d dinners, inviting students to prepare something that\u2019s important to them and then sharing their stories as they enjoy the meal. It\u2019s a way to bring students together, build connections and help them know they aren\u2019t alone, Johnson says.<\/p>\n

Making those personal connections with other students is the \u201cbiggest thing\u201d she and the other interns have accomplished this semester, Johnson says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re reaching out to students individually to see what they need,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cWe\u2019re asking them how they\u2019re doing in their classes and how we can help because we know they don\u2019t have families asking them those things. Those personal connections matter to them and to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was those kinds of outreach efforts that brought Urmanski into the program. She was invited to a Fostering Success open house, and immediately felt a connection to the program and the people involved with it. Before she left, she asked if she could join the internship team.<\/p>\n

Through Fostering Success, Urmanski found a community and a sense of belonging she was looking for.<\/p>\n

\u201cFostering Success has been a blessing,\u201d Urmanski says. \u201cThings do happen for a reason because I didn’t have to look for community to be a part of; they found me. It’s a major part of who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks and Urmanski say it\u2019s satisfying to help others find that same sense of community.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a sense of community is so good for your mental health,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cIt can be isolating if you see everyone else with parents who are paying for things or supporting them in other ways. You can feel so alone. We\u2019re building a community of people with shared experiences \u2014 and having that kind of community makes a world of difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Offering new opportunities, resources<\/h3>\n

Another goal of the program is to ease the financial stresses for students while also making it possible for them to be part of the many outside-the-classroom experiences the university offers.<\/p>\n

Students in foster care often have worked multiple jobs for most of their lives just to survive, something they continue to do that in college since it\u2019s all they\u2019ve ever known, Thesing-Ritter says. They might work 60 hours a week at off-campus jobs to pay for rent, food and anything else they need. That can be a problem since the jobs take time away from their studies, and limit what they can do outside their classes, she says.<\/p>\n

So, Fostering Success provides laptops and other technologies, access to food and clothing resources and emergency funds to cover things like unexpected medical bills, Thesing-Ritter says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to have interns who can tell first-year students they don\u2019t have to work 40 hours a week if they use the resources we offer,\u201d Thesing-Ritter says. \u201cThey don\u2019t have to miss out on opportunities because of a job. It\u2019s good for them to hear that it\u2019s OK to focus on being a student.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program also makes it possible for students to participate in the many high-impact programs UW-Eau Claire offers, like intercultural immersions and study abroad programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know these kinds of experiences are life-changing for many of our students, so we want to make sure that all Blugolds can access them,\u201d Thesing-Ritter says.<\/p>\n

Johnson, who will study abroad in Spain during the spring semester, says living and studying in another country is something she would never have believed would be possible for her just a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents who were in foster care don\u2019t think they can do an immersion program, study abroad or do many of the things that other students do,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cWe don\u2019t have families who encourage us to do these kinds of things or who help pay for it. This program makes those things possible, which is incredible. I can study abroad, and I can do it without it being a huge financial strain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Written by Judy Berthiaume<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwec.edu\/news\/news\/fostering-success-interns-making-connections-building-the-program-5535\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire\u2019s Fostering Success program is making huge leaps forward thanks to a $70,000 grant it received from the UW System this summer, program leaders say. UW-Eau Claire\u2019s Fostering Success program \u2014 launched in 2019 by members of a campus leadership program \u2014 offers financial and other support to students who have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":9042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[96],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-9040","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-eau-claire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/9040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9040"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=9040"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=9040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}