Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: California State University, Chico

Title of entry: Promoting Achievement Through Hope—Profile Series on PATH Scholars

About this entry: Chico State commonly profiles traditional college students who go directly to a four-year college from high school or matriculate after a two-year community college. The majority of these students have some measure of family support, knowledge how to navigate higher education, and a homebase environment. However, that is not the path for those who suddenly find themselves on their own after aging out of the foster system. The National Foster Youth Institute reports more than 23,000 children across the United States age out of the system annually—often severing their support network and leaving them to fend for themselves while peers head to college. We focused a story series on the individuals served by our campus program that serves the specialized needs of students who identify as current and former foster youth or unaccompanied homeless as minors. The five-part series, aptly sharing the program title of “Promoting Achievement Through Hope,” led with an introduction to the program and was carried by profiles on four students, each in different parts of their educational journeys. At Chico State, about nine in 10 students who participate in the PATH Scholars program earn their degree—a stunning 30 times greater than the national demographic. And though graduation is the ultimate goal, their experience in higher education and the invaluable program support become an on-ramp to a better life. The four stories included in “Promoting Achievement Through Hope” offer an intimate and often emotional look at four distinct paths to our four-year institution and a college degree.