Briana's Story

“Sometimes success feels like staying afloat.” 

That’s how Pivotal scholar Briana describes her life journey. Briana emancipated from foster care at 18, two years before the Extended Foster Care bill passed. Also known as AB12, this California law extended services to foster youth beyond their 18th birthday, but it passed long after Briana could take advantage of it. She was on her own. She had started at Dominican University six months earlier, with the help of a Pivotal scholarship, but when the college dorms closed during the holiday break, she had just turned 18 and, having nowhere to go, became unhoused. 

She was lost and distraught and still dealing with mental health issues stemming from the trauma she had experienced when she was younger. At that time, Pivotal did not offer coaching support services and she felt like she didn’t have anyone to turn to. Her mental health challenges became overwhelming and she realized it was time to seek help. She reached out to one of her sisters, who came without hesitation to be by her side. “She picked me up, and we fit everything we could into her car. I moved to San Jose and started to couch surf.”  

Around that time, she got an email from Pivotal about a part-time job opportunity at the Hub - a youth-led and youth-organized community center dedicated to supporting current and former foster youth. She applied and eventually became one of 10 key founding members of the organization. She buried herself in her work, setting aside her education to focus on raising her newborn daughter.  

Unfortunately, she was also grappling with a turbulent and abusive relationship with her daughter’s father. When her daughter turned one, she made the decision to leave her partner, not only to protect herself and her child, but to create a healthier future for them both.  “I wanted to break the cycle of abuse and foster care.”  

She worked at the Hub for 12 years, quickly discovering that she had a passion to work with underserved youth. She eventually moved into her current role as a mental health care support worker. “I learned a lot in that position, and I was always advocating for the youth I worked with to finish their education,” she says. “I realized that I had to point that finger back at myself, and work to finish my own education.”  

Briana started back at community college, but she was still navigating mental health issues. She experienced severe PTSD and frequent panic attacks, which eventually led to agoraphobia, leaving her unable to go anywhere on her own.  By this time, she was working regularly with a Pivotal coach, Elijah. When she explained her challenges and that she was terrified to go on campus, Elijah offered to go with her. He walked her to her class and helped her realize that school could be a safe, supportive space where she belonged and could succeed. 

 As her college career continued, she still struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. When Elijah transitioned into a different role, her new coach, Sarah stepped in with the same compassion and support, offering to accompany her to campus and help ease her transition back into that environment.  “Sarah walked with me on campus and helped me feel like I belonged there. She’s legally blind and works with a guide dog named Future. Her steady presence and the way she navigated the world with confidence made me feel less alone in my own challenges. It also helped me see that using a service animal could be empowering. I had been considering a service dog and meeting Future helped solidify that decision.” 

That’s when Ariel entered her life, a service dog from Operation Freedom Paws who became a vital part of her healing journey. With Ariel by her side, she gained the confidence to manage her PTSD and panic attacks, return to school, and stay on top of her coursework. As things began to stabilize at community college, she realized she was ready to take the next step: transferring to a four-year university. “Ariel really helped me to live life,” she says. She also acknowledges how much Sarah’s support helped. “I don’t know where I would be without Sarah. When I got the acceptance to San Jose State University, Sarah was the first person I called – even before my fiancé! I told her, ‘we did it’ because if it wasn’t for her support, I don’t think I could have made it happen.” 

Briana graduated from West Valley College in May. “I’ve been in community college for so many years, I actually graduated with four degrees - an AAT Psychology, and AAs in Liberal Arts / Humanities, Social & Behavioral Science, and Science and Math.” She starts at SJSU in the fall and is planning on getting her bachelor’s degree in psychology. Beyond that, she’s considering a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) degree or a master’s in social work (MSW). “As much as I’d like to have a more advanced or specialized degree after all this time, what I’ve learned is that I just have to keep at it, keep chiseling away. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished – my graduation, but also the work I’ve done at the Hub, and being part of that process to help other foster youth.” 

The support structure Briana has built for herself is a huge part of what motivates her to succeed. “Sarah is so good at setting time aside for me. If I’m having a rough few weeks, just having her acknowledge that I’m going through a difficult time and being there, helping me move forward is such a huge help.” 

Biana is motivated by her daughter, now ten years old, but she says she’s also learned to become her own motivator. 

“As a foster kid, I’ve never had anyone who loved me unconditionally. I had never even lived with someone for longer than five years but my fiancé and I have been together for eight!. He’s always in my corner, always there to help me, and to take things off my plate if I’m overwhelmed.” 

“Sometimes success feels like just staying afloat.” But Briana is finally beyond treading water. It may not always be smooth sailing, but she’s charting new waters now, with her daughter, her fiancé, her faithful companion, Ariel, and of course, her Pivotal coach by her side. The world has opened up to her, and new destinations await!