Fostering Lions Greater Allegheny provides students with resources to help them successfully meet their goals and graduate from college. The goals of this program include:
- Outlining clear academic pathways and providing guided support that leads to college graduation, professional employment, and personal well-being.
- Providing a comprehensive network of support that coordinates the delivery of services and resources.
- Helping students maximize the use of campus and community resources on a habitual basis.
- Helping students maximize financial aid opportunities available to them as foster youth.
- Reducing institutional barriers by simplifying processes.
- Helping students navigate complex policies and bureaucratic practices relating to academic concerns, financial aid verification issues, and dependency reviews.
Penn State Greater Allegheny believes that all students have the ability to succeed under the right set of conditions and that it is our responsibility to create those conditions (Engstrom & Tinto, 2008). We’re committed to providing a strong support system that students with experience in the foster care system can rely on throughout their time here. We know that, with your help, building this relationship even before their first day on campus can help them make a seamless transition from high school to college.
As you meet with students who are planning to attend Penn State Greater Allegheny, please consider including us in the conversation. If you work with any youth with foster care experience who would like to make a visit to campus please let us know in advance. Currently, our visits are virtual. If any of these same students would like to begin to communicate with a current Penn State Greater Allegheny student, we can make arrangements for that connection.
We are also open to meeting with you and your staff to discuss what PSUGA has to offer. Please feel free to contact Shelly Brown ([email protected]) for additional information.