Room by room, heart by heart: Helping foster youth thrive in college

[ad_1] Might is Nationwide Foster Care Consciousness Month — a time devoted to recognizing the resilience of youth in foster care and the vital position all of us play in supporting their journeys. For a lot of of those younger individuals, stepping onto a university campus is not only the beginning of a brand new chapter — it’s the beginning of a brand new life. That’s why Transfer-in Day Mafia exists: to make sure foster youth aren’t simply seen throughout their faculty transition however really supported.

New Rooms, New Beginnings For a lot of, faculty is a time of firsts — first style of independence, first actual shot at shaping a future, and first steps right into a world of risk. It’s a season of discovery, pleasure, and the fun of the unknown. For a lot of first-generation faculty college students, these feelings run even deeper. However for younger individuals rising from the foster care system, the expertise is commonly marked by a completely completely different actuality: survival.

Think about stepping onto a university campus carrying each belonging you personal in a single backpack. No dad and mom to assist arrange your dorm. No household to ship you care packages. No blueprint for the way to navigate this brand-new world. Simply hope — and the sheer will to succeed in opposition to the chances.

“Solely 3–4% of youth who age out of foster care ever earn a university diploma — Transfer-in Day Mafia is decided to alter that.” The hurdles dealing with foster youth are staggering. In response to The Nationwide Foster Youth Institute, solely about 3–4% of youth who age out of foster care ever earn a university diploma. Many by no means even get the possibility to enroll. The explanations are as heartbreaking as they're advanced: unstable housing, lack of economic assets, emotional trauma, and an absence of dependable grownup assist. Even after overcoming these obstacles to succeed in a college, many foster youth discover themselves remoted, ill-prepared, and overwhelmed.

That’s the place Transfer-in Day Mafia is available in.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-473608 size-medium" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037391-edited-255x300.jpg" alt="Cisco employee, Jenina John-Guobadia, and husband with MIDM crew" width="255" height="300" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037391-edited-255x300.jpg 255w, https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037391-edited-871x1024.jpg 871w, https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037391-edited-768x903.jpg 768w, https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037391-edited.jpg 1056w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px"/> Cisco worker, Jenina John-Guobadia together with her husband and MIDM crew. Transfer-in Day Mafia exists with a robust, clear mission: to make sure that college students from the foster care system will not be forgotten as they step into faculty life. Their work begins with the fundamentals — turning naked dorm rooms into protected, welcoming properties. A easy consolation like an actual mattress, a desk stocked with provides, or a closet stuffed with necessities can imply the distinction between feeling like an outsider and believing you belong.

For a few of these college students, a dorm room is the primary secure place they’ve ever referred to as their very own. It’s their sanctuary, their launchpad, and their first actual style of what it means to dream with out limits. And but, with out assist, even one thing as primary as a furnished room can appear out of attain.

Greater than a Makeover By its involvement with Transfer-in Day Mafia, Cisco helps bridge that hole. Past offering monetary assist, Cisco has mobilized its staff and assets to immediately uplift these college students — serving to to furnish dorm rooms, provide expertise wants, and make sure that no pupil walks into faculty empty-handed.

An inspiring instance of this dedication is Cisco’s ongoing assist for the “Undertake a Scholar” program. By this initiative, Cisconians come collectively to buy care bundle gadgets for college kids making ready to start their faculty journeys. These care packages are stuffed with necessities like bedding, toiletries, faculty provides and even private notes of encouragement. It’s a collective effort that brings the Cisco group collectively in assist of latest beginnings, sending a robust message to every pupil: you're seen, you're valued, and you're supported.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-473616" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037394-edited.jpg" alt="Cisco Volunteers with the Move In Day Mafia Founder, TeeJ Mercer" width="600" height="348" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037394-edited-300x174.jpg 300w, https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037394-edited-768x445.jpg 768w, https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/05/1000037394-edited.jpg 942w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"/> Cisco Volunteers with Transfer-in Day Mafia Founder, TeeJ Mercer Collectively, Transfer-in Day Mafia and Cisco are ensuring that these younger individuals — who've already confronted extra adversity than many do in a lifetime — have a basis to construct on. They’re sending a message that somebody believes of their potential, that they aren't alone, and that their desires are legitimate.

For each pillow positioned on a mattress, each lamp arrange on a desk, each laptop computer related to Wi-Fi represents a brand new starting. A contemporary begin. A means ahead. As a result of each little one deserves the possibility to not simply survive faculty — however to thrive.