We’re celebrating TEN graduates this summer! Five high-school students, three middle-school students, and two elementary-school students—all mentored by Braid Mission volunteers—graduated from their prospective schools this year.

We’re so proud of them and this significant accomplishment! For many youth in foster care, graduation isn’t always a given.

According to The Atlantic, “Students in foster care move schools at least once or twice a year, and by the time they age out of the system, over one-third will have experienced five or more school moves. Children are estimated to lose four to six months of academic progress per move.”

In California, only 61.4% of youth in foster care graduated from high school in the 2021-2022 school year, compared to 87.3% of non-foster youth.

Foster youth are also much more likely to be chronically absent, get suspended, and drop out of school altogether than their peers.

For students like Anthony, home-life disruptions can be a hurdle to graduation. When he lost his father in 2019, Anthony’s older brother became his primary caregiver.

“Younger me definitely didn’t think I’d make it that far or graduate high school,” he says. The grief of losing his father and lack of stability made it difficult for him to imagine a positive future.

In December 2019, Anthony was matched with a Braid mentor team. They became his biggest cheerleaders, supporting his hard work in high school and helping him navigate any challenges.

Anthony at his graduation with one of his Braid mentors

This spring, Anthony graduated high school and will be attending San Francisco State University this fall! Our entire Braid team is so proud of Anthony and his outstanding achievements. We can’t wait to see his future unfold!

Graduation shouldn’t be an anomaly for foster youth. Your support helps fund our Braid mentor teams and equips them to show up week after week for their foster youth—so they can succeed academically and beyond.

Thanks to our faithful supporters, Braid mentors can come alongside students like Anthony to help them reach the finish line.

Thank you for celebrating our graduates with us and joining forces to make a difference in the world!