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“Each time I visited the Dean's office to ask for special permission to remain in the university dorms during Christmas, Summer, and Spring break; I remember feeling helpless, alone, and somewhat isolated from the rest of the world…  
 
Hopes for Higher Education understands that without community involvement, improving life for foster care youth can only be minimal. Community awareness is the key to unlocking a new plan for youth aging out of foster care.  The combined interest of educators, organizations, social service professionals, foster parents, foster youth, and individual caring have come together to increase the scope of this organization.

As youth age out of foster care they are introduced to an expectation of independence with an unstable foundation in which to build the rest of their lives.  Breaking the cycle of out of home care begins with learning new and creative ways to reach your dreams.  Hopes for Higher Education aims to develop a support system for youth that networks every available resource in the community to make a new plan… a plan that ends with a successful future.

-Dr. Deborah Harris- Sims
Founder/Executive Director

“Building Resilience… One Youth at a Time”
  		 
  • Study Finds More Woes Following Foster Care
    By ERIK ECKHOLM Only half the youths who had turned 18 and “aged out” of foster care were employed by their mid-20s. Six in 10 men had been convicted of a crime, and three in four women, many of them with children of their own, were receiving some form of public assistance. Only six in [...]
  • Published: Foster Youth Emancipation by Dr. Deborah Sims
    In respect to sub-scales, the study found that for youth preparing to age out of foster care higher levels of emotional reactivity were associated with lower levels of responsibility. Further, in comparison to their non-foster care peers, youth in foster care scored significantly lower in their sense of relatedness, responsibility, and emotional reactivity. Results from this study will add to the existing body of literature concerning foster youth emancipation.
  • Apply Early for Financial Aid 2009-2010
    Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, provides federal student aid, which includes grants, loans, and work-study.  Each year millions of students wait until the last minute to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Apply early! If there are any problems with your paper work you will have [...]