Jim Mickelson already had a background in social work, so when his wife became president of a local university and he noticed that the former foster youth who were students on campus weren’t succeeding at the same rate as other students, he came up with a plan.
Now, he’s the founder and director of ACE Scholars Services at California State University, San Marcos, which works with former foster youth under the age of 30 who were in the foster care system from the time they were 13 for at least two years. These students receive assistance with applying to college, financial aid, housing, adjusting to college life, classes, and customizing other areas of outreach for each student.
Q: Tell us about ACE Scholars Services.
A: The university’s mission is to provide access to those who traditionally do not attend college, and foster youth have the lowest educational attainment rate of any group. We really didn’t have the resources to be effective in assisting foster youth at that time. I started to volunteer my time to see if we could develop an approach that would give these individuals the assistance they needed. Over time, I was able to raise the resources needed so the program could continue to develop. The program’s mission is to transform the lives of foster youth through higher education. We work with students intensely when they first come to campus and encourage and support them to become self-sufficient and integrated into the college campus. We are there to address the multitude of barriers they face in completing their degree.
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