Sacramento State program eases the stress for students who spent time in foster care

SACRAMENTO – Pursuing higher education can be challenging for any college-bound student and for former foster youth, doing it alone can seem impossible. 
Two Sacramento State students who spent time in foster care are proving their strength in numbers.
Deja Douglas and Jaliyah Dramera are among the estimated 31,000 college students attending Sacramento State. 
The former foster youth are finding campus life less stressful these days.
“Coming here has been the best decision that I ever made because I found so much community and purpose, and support here on campus,” Douglas said.
For Dramera, being among others just like her matters.
“Because there are things that as a student and former foster youth don’t talk about and we feel like a lot of people don’t understand and can’t understand,” Dramera said. They’re part of Sac State’s Guardian Scholars Program, launched in 2006 to help former foster youth on campus.
“We know if their environment is a sense of belonging, they feel like they matter, they feel like they’re cared about, they’re going to be more likely to grow in their identity, they’re going to be more likely to experience academic success,” Sacramento State President Luke Wood said.
The college network, supported by Wood—who is also a former foster youth and Sac State alumni, offers an array of services like counseling, housing, scholarships and financial aid.
“Books are expensive, classes are expensive,” Dramera said.
“Even things like a little journal or big journal, pens, paper and supplies it takes away the stress of being a student in that situation,” Douglas said.
Earlier this year, Douglas, Dramera and eight other students got an unexpected surprise.
During a United Way gala event, each one was awarded $500 a month for an entire year. It’s all thanks to the non-profit’s new Collegiate Guaranteed Income Program. 
“It was kind of overwhelming and I couldn’t process it at the moment,” Douglas said.
“I didn’t believe it. It was something that you only see in movies I think,” Dramera said.
Their similar journeys brought them to Sac State, where they’ve developed an irreplaceable bond. With the continued support they receive, they’re determined to graduate and pay it forward.
So, what types of school supplies are in high demand for college students?
Douglas and Dramera said glue, whiteout, three-inch binders, backpacks and other supplies.  CBS Sacramento and GoodDay Sacramento are teaming up with the United Way to collect backpacks for students in our communities. 
To donate, simply text the words: UWKOVR to the number 4144.
A complete list of drop-off locations can be found online.