“I know what it’s like to be alone”: Institutional Struggles of Former Foster Youth
Mentor Information
Chris Ponticelli (Department of Sociology)
Description
The United States foster institution affects a large portion of American children today, yet it is filled with institutional problems that affect children long after they depart from the system. Through one-on-one interviews with foster alumni, this study aims to identify hardships these individuals face that are unique to them due to their time within the foster care institution. In the end, this study identified major limits to bureaucracy within higher education, the need for a community for foster alumni- both in higher education and outside of it, and factors that hint at the foster institution impacting future career choices. Potential implications are discussed, as well as the need for replication on a larger scale. Keywords: foster care, foster alumni, college success, concealable stigma, skillset.
“I know what it’s like to be alone”: Institutional Struggles of Former Foster Youth
The United States foster institution affects a large portion of American children today, yet it is filled with institutional problems that affect children long after they depart from the system. Through one-on-one interviews with foster alumni, this study aims to identify hardships these individuals face that are unique to them due to their time within the foster care institution. In the end, this study identified major limits to bureaucracy within higher education, the need for a community for foster alumni- both in higher education and outside of it, and factors that hint at the foster institution impacting future career choices. Potential implications are discussed, as well as the need for replication on a larger scale. Keywords: foster care, foster alumni, college success, concealable stigma, skillset.
