Savannah’s Success Story

Savannah is no stranger to uncertainty and questions about the future. As a young child in southeastern Washington, she experienced homelessness with her biological mother, who battled drug addiction. When her mother could no longer care for her, Savannah bounced between foster homes and schools, losing momentum and hope along the way.

“I moved from school to school in middle school, and math seemed to get harder every time. I felt hopeless,” she said.

Then, early in tenth grade, she returned to the home of former foster parents, and remained with them for the last three years of high school. After years of housing insecurity, she felt like she’d arrived at a real, permanent home.

But the long years of shuffling between schools had taken a serious toll on her academic progress, especially in math. As she fought to catch up academically and graduate from high school, she wasn’t thinking about college—just about passing the next math class.

Still, her newly stable home life helped her put down roots. With the help of teachers and a tutor, she started making progress in math. By her junior year, her future was coming into focus, and with it a goal of earning a college degree.

Easier said than done, since she had a checkered academic past and no way to pay for college. But a life of uncertainty had taught her resourcefulness and tenacity.

A social worker introduced her to College Success Foundation programs and helped her begin applying for scholarships, including the Governor’s Scholarship for Foster Youth, administered by CSF.

The day she opened the Governors’ Scholarship acceptance letter was the best day of her life, she said. “I did a happy cry and started dancing around my kitchen. It was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” she recalls.

Her financial fears were fading, but she still needed support to ensure a successful transition to college. Shortly after receiving her high school diploma in June 2013, she took part in CSF’s Make it Happen! on-campus summer program, where she learned vital college survival skills. By the time she got to Eastern Washington University that fall, she felt excited, nervous, but most importantly, prepared.

At EWU, she met regularly with her CSF Passport Navigator, a student mentor for foster youth, who helped her connect to on-campus resources. “The first quarter was overwhelming, and I remember getting into a math class and thinking, oh no—I just got through all of this!” she said. But she met regularly with her instructors and tutors, studied diligently, and class by class, proved to herself that a college degree was within reach.

Before graduating, though, she realized another goal: For her senior year internship, she helped homeless families find safe, stable housing. Working with a local agency, she negotiated with landlords, handled lease paperwork and smoothed move-in details, helping nearly 50 families get off the streets or out of a shelter.

The internship brought her life experience full circle, she said, and confirmed that she’d picked the right career that would enable her to continue working with families in need.

Last June, she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work; a week later, she spoke at the CSF Governors’ Scholarship Award Ceremony before returning to Make it Happen! as a counselor. “It’s amazing to help others as I was helped and to see these new scholars starting their college journeys,” she said. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”