Webinars

 “The Impact of Financial Security and Social Support on the Community College Experiences of Youth Impacted by Foster Care with Dis(abilities)”

Presented by:

Dr. Dominique Mikell Montgomery- Assistant Professor at University of Nevada- Reno

 & Evelyn Rodriguez- Artist, Activist, & Advocate living in Los Angeles, CA​​

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​"Earning a college degree is correlated with various positive outcomes for individuals in areas such as job satisfaction, civic engagement, and economic stability. However, not everyone in our society universally benefits from higher education. While limited scholarship exists on the educational attainment of youth impacted by foster care (YIFC) experiencing (dis)abilities, the evidence available supports the idea that these youth face unique barriers to pursuing higher education. Our study fills this gap in knowledge by examining how YIFC with (dis)abilities experience attending public 2-year colleges with a particular focus on their access to supportive services and resources to meet their basic needs. We recruited seventeen individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 years of age who were or were formerly involved with the child welfare system in California, identified as having a (dis)ability, and were currently enrolled or had been enrolled in the last five years at a public, 2-year college. These young people participated in focus groups and interviews focused on their collegiate experiences conducted by a research team of system-impacted youth. Data analysis revealed that youth often faced significant challenges meeting their basic needs when attending community college and that these challenges greatly impacted their academic trajectories. Additionally, we found that young people believed  having a robust social support network greatly impacted their ability to thrive in college.  Findings have identified gaps in our policies and practices and provide vital information on how the child welfare system can better support YIFC experiencing dis(abilities) achieve a higher education.”