AUGUST 14, 2023 — From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, the UTSA Fostering Futures Program (FFP) is hosting its Early Start Experience, a unique orientation designed for incoming freshmen who have a history of foster care. The event heavily focuses on peer-to-peer social connections and community-building to help the students successfully kick off their college experience.
The FFP is a student success program that provides support to UTSA students who have a history of foster care to empower youth overcome the challenges that foster students historically face when they pursue a college degree.
The program currently serves more than 250 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students, having reached more than 500 total UTSA students since the program launch in 2019. This fall, nearly 100 youth who receive educational benefits for having lived experience in foster care have enrolled for the first time at UTSA.
“The energy of a new fall semester is so exciting because we get to meet so many new youth who come from very diverse backgrounds but each share a common identity of lived experience in foster care, and share the same dream of earning a degree in higher education,” said Emily Marcotte, UTSA associate director of the FFP and UTSA’s Foster Care Liaison. “National trends in education outcomes for this population have historically shown education access is a desperate need. This program is a gateway to move the needle on those trends, so students achieve critical building blocks for success and transform into active citizens for our community.”
Students who have a history of foster care who choose to pursue higher education generally enter college without the financial and family support other college students enjoy. The FFP aims to close that gap by providing students who have a history of foster care a healthy support system and holistic resources that build equity for success in the classroom and to transition from foster care to adulthood.
UTSA data indicates that seven in 10 students with a history of foster care at the university take advantage of the FFP’s services including educational resources, housing and meal stipends, financial and employment assistance, life skills workshops, cultural and personal identity development, relationship and community connections, and well-being support.
The FFP is part of the Bexar County Fostering Educational Success Project (BCFES), a UTSA-led collaboration with Texas A&M University-San Antonio, the Alamo Colleges District, the Bexar County Children’s Court and Child Advocates San Antonio that serves as a national model for student success to develop programs and practices to guide students who have a history of foster care—as young as middle school—as they navigate the world of higher education.
The program was established in 2019 and continues to be supported by generous funding from the Texas Legislature and donations from individual supporters.
Since the FFPs founding, over 80 students with a history of foster care have crossed the commencement stage to earn their UTSA degrees, including Jazelynn Montemayor, who graduated last year with a finance degree and Krizia Frankin ’12, ’15, a double alumna who is now a social worker employed full-time in San Antonio.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.