Since 2004, many Ball State University and Ivy Tech students who grew up in foster care have found comfort through the Guardian Scholars program.
A Ball State-based service, the program helps students make the transition from foster care to college by giving them personal attention and some financial support. Thanks to a recent grant from an Indianapolis-based foundation, the program will continue through 2007.
A total of 21 students from Ball State and Ivy Tech are receiving assistance from the program.
Program coordinator Carlotta Cooprider said Guardian Scholars helps the students with the sort of things most of their classmates take for granted.
"It's a safe place for them to come," Cooprider said. "In some cases we provide students with emergency school supplies. Sometimes we are there for them to celebrate a birthday with, to make sure they have a birthday cake."
The program also helps students sort and prioritize financial aid, said Ann Brown, assistant professor of social work.
Cooprider said many students are unfamiliar with the difficulties faced by their classmates who grew up in foster care. These students had to give up their homes, friends and favorite teachers, often numerous times during their upbringing.
"Those essential connections are huge," Cooprider said. "They just haven't had some of the advantages that other students have."
Cooprider said coming to college is a huge event for most students, but it's even more important for those who came from foster homes.
"They are in charge now," Cooprider said. "For some it's very exhilarating to start their adult life on their own terms."
But foster children who go on to college are in the minority. Only 18 percent of 19-year-olds who have grown up in foster care are attending college, according to a recent University of Chicago study.
Former foster child and Ball State sophomore Craig, who requested his last name not be used, said the Guardian Scholars program helped him feel welcomed when he came to Ball State.
"They sent e-mails and care packages," Craig said. "They care about individuals. They want to see us succeed."
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