Being from foster care is a lot. For me, the challenges I faced while in the system knocked me off my educational path. I struggled with substance abuse, homelessness, and incarceration. I didn’t graduate from high school, and I never really knew how to get to college. Growing up, it was never something that I thought I could do. I just assumed it wasn’t for me. 

I eventually got my GED and decided to go to San Jose City College to get certified as an alcohol and drug counselor. When I was there, a friend told me about the programs available for foster youth and it was there that I met my Pivotal coach Kayla, who showed me that I had other options. 

I was just going for my certificate, and I was going to be out of there! But Kayla really pushed me to go further. She helped me to gain confidence in myself and the things I could do. Still, when she suggested that I consider transferring to San Jose State University, I was skeptical. I had no idea how to do that, and I certainly didn’t think I could afford it. Kayla insisted that I could. She helped me get a Pivotal scholarship and find other financial aid and pushed me to keep going to get the credits I needed to transfer. She believed that I could do it, and I did! I graduated with honors and transferred to San Jose State. I’ll finish my degree in Sociology in May. 

Once again, I didn’t think I would continue my education beyond my bachelor’s degree but with Kayla’s encouragement, I applied to UC Berkeley’s Social Work program and just got accepted!

Quote from Jennifer - Becoming a social worker is a dream and Kayla and Pivotal helped me see that.

I don’t really know how it’s going to go. I’ve been working full time, and this is a full-time program so it’s going to be a big change. But this is my dream school and my dream career so it’s a leap of faith. I have to believe that it’s all going to work out. 

I want to be an example to the people who think they can’t. I really thought my life was too far gone to make anything of it – I had made such a mess, and I didn’t think there was any coming back from that. But in just the last five years, I’ve done so much and made so many positive changes. 

What drives me is my passion for wanting to help others in my community. Not too many people who have been through what I have been through have the opportunities that I’ve had, and I want them to know that they can have the things they want, with the right motivation and drive. 

If it wasn’t for Kayla believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’d have gotten my certificate and become an alcohol and drug counselor, which would have been fine. Being an alcohol and drug counselor was a goal for me. But becoming a social worker is a dream and Kayla and Pivotal helped me see that. 

I don’t know what the next chapter in my life will look like. I just know that I have this opportunity and that I want to make the most of it. I am proud of everything I’ve accomplished and I’m grateful to people like Kayla and programs like Pivotal’s that helped me along the way.