On a late February afternoon, a dozen or so Sacramento State students, all current or former foster youth, filed into the office of the university’s Guardian Scholars Program for a financial aid workshop that promised to teach them how to “get that bread and get ahead.”

When program coordinator Gina Bryan projected scholarship information on a screen, one young man called out: “I’m gonna get some money!”

Not everyone felt that confident. Some said they’d never applied for scholarships and didn’t know how, while others said they feared being rejected or were intimidated by the essay requirements.

Bryan broke down the complicated process using bread-making metaphors and jokes. And she addressed a mindset barrier that she knew many of them faced, even if they wouldn’t say so out loud. “You’re capable and worth investing in,” she told the students. “You’re not asking for a handout, you’re claiming a resource.”

The Guardian Scholars Program at Sacramento State is one of hundreds around the country designed to help students who are former foster youth stay enrolled, thrive academically and graduate with plans to build stable careers. It offers a window into policies that work — from scholarships to housing help to social connections for emotional support — at a time when the federal government has begun focusing renewed attention on these students and holding out the promise of more investment in them.

Read the full article about supporting former foster youth by Olivia Sanchez at The Hechinger Report.