From the Heart: Passport Scholars Persist During COVID Crisis

College Success Foundation serves the underserved — those who might not otherwise graduate from college without our support. Our scholars include students of color, first-generation college students, as well as foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth.  

College Success Foundation, in partnership with the Washington Student Achievement Council, leads the Washington Passport Network, a group of professionals working to support foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth in accessing and completing their education or career training after high school. Members of the Washington Passport Network focus on the unique needs of Passport students through enhanced financial aid and tailored support services. 

A cornerstone of this work is Washington state’s dedicated scholarship, the Passport Scholarship, which helps foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth access and persist in college or other postsecondary training.

Nationally, less than 3 percent of alumni of foster care graduate from college. With the devastating effects of the COVID-19 crisis, these students face mounting barriers to educational attainment. 

We remain steadfastly committed to our Passport Scholars and their success. This autumn, we have taken extra steps to support them through the COVID crisis. In addition to a concerted direct outreach to Passport Scholars to encourage them to continue enrolling and attending the 2020-2021 academic year, we designed a Passport Scholar Persistence Campaign to reach students in a way that resonates with them on social media.

Our goal is to encourage Passport scholars to persist in college or career training and inform those who may not be aware that they qualify for Passport benefits. Through a series of social media videos, straight from the heart of three alumni of care and directed at students currently in foster care or those experiencing homelessness, we have reached vulnerable students in ways that align with them when they need our collective support the most.

This video shows the impact of the Washington Passport Scholarship on these three Passport Scholars. Check out what these Passport Scholars have to say, in their own words, from their hearts.