Passport Program Conference Kicks off Historic Expansion

Alexis remembers the first time she saw this statistic. At first her heart sunk into her stomach, but then it motivated her to succeed. “I wasn’t going to let my past get in the way. I was going to make sure the choices I made in the present produced the outcomes I needed for a better future,” she said.

Alexis entered foster care as an infant and was adopted before re-entering the system at age 15. She fought to maintain her grades as she attended four different high schools in three years, and she took extra courses so she could graduate on time. Despite these obstacles, she graduated high school with a 3.9 GPA and was accepted to every college she applied to.

Alexis received support and resources from College Success Foundation while attending Washington State University. She held internships with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and the Washington State Legislature. And on May 5, 2018, she beat the odds by graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

“I am excited to use my talents so foster youth will never have to live in a world where barriers prevent them from entering and succeeding in higher education,” she said.

Alexis delivered a keynote speech to Passport to College State Conference attendees at University of Washington-Tacoma. This year’s event, which took place May 9-10, was the largest in 10 years. It also kicked off a historic program expansion resulting from Senate bill 6274.

CSF Co-Founder and Board Director Ann Ramsay-Jenkins gave opening comments during an in-depth morning plenary session. “We are all here today for the same reasons. We all want our youth to thrive and be judged not by their history, circumstances or situations, but by their actions and achievements,” Ann said. “We are here to turn dreams into realities.”

Other speakers included state Senator Reuven Carlyle, president of Seattle University Fr. Stephen Sundborg, director of student financial assistance at the Washington Student Achievement Council Becky Thompson, and state Representative Ruth Kagi.

CSF Program Manager Fred Kingston and the Foster Care Initiatives Team host the two-day conference in collaboration with Washington Student Achievement Council. The annual event provides professional development and networking opportunities for practitioners who support students from foster care pursuing higher education.

CSF and WSAC established the Passport to College program 10 years ago to strengthen the post-secondary pipeline for foster youth. “What started as an idea has blossomed into a national model for collaboration, partnership, and impact,” Ann said.

Nationally celebrated motivational speaker Arel Moodie delivered a keynote presentation focused on creating an identity of success so that our everyday lives can be lived with renewed energy. Afternoon workshops focused on foundational knowledge, policy and research, and best practices for improving higher education outcomes for Washington’s foster youth.

The conference also engaged practitioners in implementing the three-year program expansion which was signed by the governor on March 22, 2018.

“This opens the door for more youth to have the chance to achieve their dreams through college and apprenticeships. I am thankful everyone here who played a role in getting this bill passed,” Alexis said. “Because of you, these students now have access to the opportunities that their counterparts have.”