A Passport Recipient Finds His Place in Higher Education

Students who have experienced foster care face obstacles to succeeding in college that go well beyond academic achievement and preparing for college. For Passport to College scholarship recipient and CSF alum Curtis Anderson, facing the stigma associated with being in foster care was something he faced throughout his high school and college years.

Finding refuge in college as a highschooler High school can be rough for anyone but when it feels like the teachers aren’t in your corner, it can be even harder. At Curtis’s second high school, boys from a nearby group foster home had developed a bad reputation with school faculty and staff. Unfortunately, that reputation was unfairly extended to all the students in foster care.

“If the teachers ever found out that you were from foster care they would just stop helping you to be successful in school. If you had questions about the material, they just wouldn’t answer them,” Curtis shares.

This discrimination was so well known that all the foster liaisons stopped communicating with the teachers in order to protect the students’ identities. Curtis persevered and enrolled in Running Start at Spokane Community College (SCC) which removed him from the environment and fulfilled his need for continual college-bound education. 

Because he was still in foster care while attending SCC as an 11th grader, Curtis had to deal with the stress of moving to different placements almost every month. This made it difficult for him to attend his classes. His social worker said there wasn’t anything they could do to change the constant relocations so Curtis would have to give up and return to regular high school. Undeterred, Curtis got help from a trusted adult working at SCC who helped him navigate public transportation, sometimes journeying for over an hour and a half a day, to remain in the Running Start program.
College brings different barriers
Once he left care, college brought new challenges. Students across the country struggle with securing housing; for Curtis, it was no different. He got lucky when he was connected to an apartment owner who had previously been a foster parent and recognized Curtis’s commitment to his education, gladly providing him with a place to live.  

RECENT WSAC REPORT: Key findings show stark challenges for many Washington students: Over a third (34.2%) reported experiencing housing insecurity in the last 12 months, with more than 1 in 10 (11.3%) having experienced homelessness. These challenges are even more stark for alumni of care.

Additionally, developing a social network can be difficult for alumni of care while attending college––especially since working full-time or part-time takes up most of their free time after attending classes and studying.

“It’s really hard to make friends as a former foster youth in college because you have to be working to pay for college even if you get assistance from the state and you just can’t have the typical undergrad experience,” noted Curtis.

Passport to College Scholarship
As a Passport to College Scholar, alumni of care, like Curtis, and unaccompanied homeless youth in Washington state can receive scholarships and other forms of financial aid that will help pay tuition and living expenses for up to five years of college.

In Washington, only about 48% of youth who have been in state foster care graduate from high school on time (DCFY’s 2020-21 Graduation Report Card), and only about 3% continue on to some form of postsecondary education. 

The scholarship is intentionally flexible so that recipients can use the award for living expenses like housing, transportation, books, and other fees––costs that can cause students to drop out of college when budgets are already tight. 

Passport to College Scholars also receive guidance from dedicated support staff with assistance in purchasing textbooks, finding housing, and securing basic needs like groceries. They also receive special consideration for the Washington College Grant and State Work Study financial aid programs and help to locate student employment.

Now a graduate student finishing his master’s degree in social work, Curtis has big plans for the future, including a move to Seattle and pursuing his  Ph.D. 

Curtis is a featured lived experience speaker at this year’s Passport to Careers State Conference on May 23-24, 2023