Date: 05/22/2006

In honor of Foster Care Month in May, Connie Hernandez-Robbins, special assistant to the associate vice president for student services, reports that SJSU's support program for former foster care youth, the CME Society (Connect, Motivate, Educate) has been helping "emancipated" foster youth make the difficult transition to college on their own. SJSU provides faculty and peer mentoring, financial aid application assistance, year-round housing assistance, counseling services and student leadership involvement. According to Hernandez-Robbins, approximately 53 foster care youth have been identified at SJSU and more are expected in the fall. One student involved in the program, who graduated in December, said, "As a former foster youth who was in the system since the age of six months until the age of 18, I have used my experiences as a source of strength. I am motivated to go above and beyond in every aspect of my life. Over the years I have built strong relationships with adults in the community who have been so helpful and caring. They provide support services, help me find resources, and emotional support. They have become near and dear to my heart and I do not know where I would be without them." (See below for more news on this program.) For more information and to find out how you can help, see the CME Society.