Rick helped 800 foster kids go to college.

When you grow up in foster care, college can feel like it was designed for someone else. You may not have parents helping with tuition, a home to return to during breaks or someone to call when everything feels overwhelming. I wanted a different future, but I couldn’t see how I would get there on my own.

Rick understood because he grew up in foster care, too. He couldn’t afford to attend college and never had the opportunity to graduate—so he fought to make sure young people like me would have the chance he didn’t. Through his work on the Fostering Success Act, foster youth received help with education, housing, mentoring and the other support we need to keep moving forward.

Because of Rick, I didn’t just go to college—I graduated. And I’m one of more than 800 foster youth whose lives have been changed. Rick turned what he missed in his own life into an opportunity for ours, and I will always be grateful

Kristauana