By Daniel Wilson

November 21, 2024

A new initiative will guarantee admission to Sacramento State for children and youth who have experienced foster care, beginning with the Fall 2025 semester.

The “Guardian Scholars Promise” provides automatic acceptance into Sacramento State and into the University’s Guardian Scholars Program (GSP) for applicants who meet CSU admissions requirements. GSP offers resources, assistance and a place of belonging and community for students who are former foster youth and wards of the court.

“This community of students has unique barriers and challenges, as opposed to students that have a family to rely on,” said GSP Director Linda Ram. “We are their support system. We are their community. So, whatever they need help for, we’re the ones that try to provide that assistance to better their college journey.”

GSP’s services include academic advising, priority on-campus housing, mental health and wellness support, and financial assistance such as fee waivers and scholarships.

“If you're a foster youth and you're thinking, ‘I know Sac State is going to accept me, and I'm going to have a support system there,’ that's huge. To be able to come to a college campus and know you're going to have resources and specialized support, that is a relief.” -- Linda Ram, Guardian Scholars Program director

President Luke Wood and Aniesha Mitchell, vice president of Student Affairs, announced the initiative during the Guardian Scholars Bridge conference for transfer and high school foster youth on Nov. 13.

“We are committed to supporting students and creating opportunities for success,” Mitchell said. “I am proud to reaffirm our commitment of guaranteed admission for foster youth, ensuring that if you have ever been in care, even one day, you are eligible and welcome here at Sac State.”

“We believe every young person deserves the opportunity to pursue higher education, and this promise reflects our dedication to providing that opportunity.”

Prospective students interested in the “Guardian Scholars Promise” can inquire about it immediately by reaching out to GSP. The Guardian Scholars Promise is also open to youth who have experienced homelessness, under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

“We want to signal to foster youth everywhere that Sacramento State cares about you and your academic goals,” Wood said. “We have staff and faculty who are dedicated to treating you with the dignity and respect you deserve, you have a dedicated space on campus to build your own community, and you will have priority on-campus housing accommodations coming in.”

The initiative grew out of the Sacramento State First Star Academy, a program Ram started in 2020 that provides “a free, comprehensive four-year college readiness program for students currently experiencing foster care.”

Guardian Scholars, which launched in 2006 at Sac State and recently moved into a larger dedicated space on campus, is rapidly growing, said Ram. The program is No. 1 in Northern California for enrollment, with 195 students this fall. In comparison, the program served 151 students during the previous academic year.

“It’s hard enough for current and former foster youth to overcome the obstacles to pursue a higher education, let alone persist in college,” Ram said. “If you're a foster youth and you're thinking, ‘I know Sac State is going to accept me, and I'm going to have a support system there,’ that's huge. To be able to come to a college campus and know you're going to have resources and specialized support, that is a relief.”

About 4% of former and current foster youth earn a four-year degree, according to the National Foster Youth Institute. In California, that number is around 11%, Ram said.

Reign Rodriquez is a fourth-year Philosophy major and Guardian Scholars student who was in foster care between the ages of 12 and 14 and lived with two foster families before being placed with his grandmother. Rodriquez was later granted minor emancipation, which brought with it several challenges, including the lack of a support system.

“I've always been appreciative that I've come to Sac State because, in comparison to any support that I've had in the foster care system, I feel like I've had the most support here in Guardian Scholars,” Rodriquez said.

He said the Guardian Scholars Promise is a great opportunity for incoming students.

“If I knew I would have been guaranteed admission, it would have saved me a lot more stress,” Rodriquez said. “I think for these future students, that's going to be very beneficial to them, because I think in the last stretch of high school, it'll definitely be a relief and one less thing to worry about.”

For more information about Guardian Scholars or the Guardian Scholars Promise, visit the program’s web page or email gsp@csus.edu.