“They Deserve to Be There” — Codie’s Story of College After Foster Care

One of five siblings born to young, struggling parents, Codie had a rocky start in life.

“My parents had a really rough upbringing. They experienced a lot of abuse and neglect as children, and then they started having children,” she says. Codie’s parents had five children in quick succession, one each year for five years. “To say our early childhood was tumultuous is an understatement.”

Codie’s parents struggled with poverty, drug addiction and alcoholism, and she and her siblings experienced neglect and abuse. The family survived with help from others — donations from churches, schools and neighbors — as well as government assistance.

As things got harder for Codie’s family, Child Protective Services (CPS) became aware of the situation, coming to their home several times. “My parents showed us love and affection, but they didn’t have the supports they needed to really keep us safe,” she says. In sixth grade, Codie’s world turned upside down when she and her siblings were removed from their family home and placed in separate foster homes.

At just 12 years old, Codie was struggling academically and behaviorally, and she had said goodbye to the only home she knew. What she couldn’t have predicted was that her foster family would change her life forever.

A New Perspective

Codie’s foster parents, a retired couple she soon began to call Grandma and Grandpa, provided her with stability, consistency and love. They pushed her to achieve things she initially didn’t believe were possible. “I remember sitting at the dining room table with my foster mom, struggling, failing, not getting math,” she recalls. “I was frustrated. I was like, ‘I’m never going to get this, I quit,’ and she said, ‘You’re not quitting, you will get this, because you’re capable of getting this.’”

Under their persistent guidance, and no longer worried about her day-to-day needs and safety, Codie soon began to turn things around at school, as well as behaviorally. “It was night and day,” she says. “By the end of the school year, I was passing all my classes.”

Codie began to thrive academically. Her dedication and hard work at school paid off, and she graduated as valedictorian of her high school class. She knew she wanted to go on to bigger and better things, but she wasn’t sure what that would look like. It was one of her own family members who showed her what could come next and helped Codie believe it was possible for her.

Taking the Next Step

“My older sister was the first in our family to ever go to college, having been accepted to The Evergreen State College,” Codie says. “It got me thinking, maybe I can do this.”

However, getting into college was only half the battle. Paying for college can be challenging, even for students with significant family support. Codie needed guidance in terms of financial aid, and she connected with College Success Foundation. “My social worker gave me an application for the Governors’ Scholarship,” she says. “With the support of that scholarship and other financial aid, I was able to attend a private university and have zero student loans.”

Codie continued to perform at a high level academically, graduating summa cum laude from St. Martin’s University. She would go on to earn her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Washington.

Today, Codie continues to advance her education with the goal of becoming a licensed social worker. She has dedicated her career to helping children and families who need support. “I have committed my life to working with other families involved in the child welfare system,” she says.  

Codie recently shared her story as the alumni speaker at the 23rd Annual Governors’ Cup Golf Tournament, which raises money for the Governors’ Scholarship. She credits the support she received from CSF with helping keep her on track as a college student: “College Success Foundation staff mentored me through those early years and connected me with other youth who had experienced foster care,” she says. “That’s why this program is near and dear to my heart, and I will continue to support it. Thank you for helping youth who have experienced foster care know that college is possible, and they deserve to be there.”