Euro Patent Box
  • Business & Finance
  • Business News
  • eCommerce
  • Education
  • General
  • Home
  • real estate school jacksonville fl
  • Mental Health Related
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise Here
Select Page

I was a foster youth, and my high school didn’t prepare me for higher education

by Amy B. Taylor | May 25, 2022 | Education

[ad_1]

Editor’s note: This article was published in partnership with the Youth Voice program, which provides writing opportunities to young people across the country with experience in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Imagine having a stable home environment, consistency in daily routine for school, and knowing there’s support on every step of the journey toward higher education. Now, picture having all of that abruptly changed. As a young person who has experienced both foster care and homelessness, schooling has always been something I loved to do. But managing school while being in the system was a hurdle that took me years to overcome.

In school, I have always excelled in academics. In eighth grade, I won ”Girl of the Year Award” for all my perseverance and overcoming stigmas because of my status as a foster youth. By the time I entered high school, I had put in a lot of work in all of my classes. When sophomore year rolled around, I was enrolled in junior and senior classes for writing and several honors classes. I had even skipped ahead a grade.

School was always a place that felt normal to me. I knew the work I had to do and always tried to elevate my homework and presentations. Despite my efforts, the school I attended failed me as a foster youth. When I tried enrolling in the Running Start program, a program that allows high school students to take some college courses, I was denied based on my age instead of my grade level. As a result, I felt disheartened about my ability in schoolwork and lacked the confidence to see a college degree in my future.

When I was told I couldn’t do Running Start, I decided I would drop out completely and do a different program that would allow me to take both. This new program was quite a big step and did not have the right set of supports for preparing me to transition into not just adulthood but also higher education. 

What could my school have done to help prepare me? High school counselors are supposed to guide a young person through their class options and potential career interests. They could have evaluated my grade level and accepted my interest in attending college early while I was still attending high school. Since they failed to meet me where I was, I decided it was better to do it all on my own. I sought help from the limited counselors available through a high school completion program. Attending those classes introduced me to college-level courses but I was unprepared and struggled to balance college-level life.

I got wrapped up in maintaining a social life with new friends I made on campus and started to slack off because the environment was so unstructured. I saw the type of support my friends had received when they were in the Running Start program and, looking back now, I wish I would have had the same opportunities as my peers. They had weekly check-ins, progress reports and conversations regarding the student’s emotional well-being as they simultaneously handled both high school and college courses. Those were the types of support I missed. Lacking that institutional support caused me to focus less on my academic goals and focus more on an unstable social life.

In the end, I took much longer to graduate from high school and still haven’t finished college. Even though my journey to pursue higher education was deferred, I haven’t given up on completing my degree.

If there’s any advice I could give, it would be to not let barriers stop you from achieving your potential and to create a support system that works for you in whatever decision for higher education you follow. Sometimes, that can mean it will take longer — that’s all right, too. In my path, I had to face family issues, the death of a parent, and traumas head-on before I could come back and work toward finishing a degree in college. During that time, I learned that passions can become careers. Now, writing is something I am working toward completing at a community college this year. 

If I could tell one thing to a younger me, it would be to stress less over things that are out of my control and to focus on finding stability and what will fulfill my future.


Nelly Braxton

is a student at Shoreline Community College, where she is pursuing a degree in journalism. She has experienced both foster care and homelessness and has been an advocate for the community by volunteering and sharing her experiences.

[ad_2]

Source link

Archives

  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • December 2016

Visit Now

Another example

BL

TL

Intellifluence Trusted Blogger

Categories

  • Business & Finance
  • Business News
  • eCommerce
  • Education
  • General
  • Mental Health Related
  • Society
  • Sports

Recent Posts

  • Funding Business Ideas (No Inventory Required)
  • Why MX204-HWBASE-AC-FS Might Be the Router You Need For Your Business
  • Custom Packaging Work Best for Products Safety
  • In One Montana Town, Masks Guidelines Range By The Business.
  • Most Popular Online Electronics Stores Within The U S

bayar.ooo

buy backlinks

Tags

Amazon Business Login Amazon Business Prime Att Business Login Bank Of America Business Account Best Business Schools Business Business Attorney Near Me Business Bank Account Business Card Holder Business Card Maker Business Cards Near Me Business Card Template Business Casual Attire Business Casual Shoes Business Casual Woman Business Plan Examples Ca Business Search Capital One Business Credit Card Ca Sos Business Search Chase Business Checking Chase Business Credit Cards Chase Business Customer Service Citizens Business Bank Cox Business Login Digital Business Card Facebook Business Suite Finance In Business Free Business Cards Harvard Business School Massage Parlor Business Near Me Michigan Business Entity Search Mind Your Business Mind Your Own Business Ohio Business Search Risky Business Costume Skype For Business Small Business Loan Small Business Saturday 2021 Starting A Business Triumph Business Capital Vending Machine Business Verizon Business Customer Service Vonage Business Login Wells Fargo Business Account Yahoo Small Business
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS