Westfield State taught Marjorie Rodríguez ’15 there is life after foster care.
A product of the system in Puerto Rico, Rodríguez struggled with the transition into higher education without family and other support systems in place. Transferring to Westfield State from the University of Puerto Rico two years ago, she was a non-traditional student in her 30s, not yet fluent in English. She had no access to a computer, and as a low-income mother, finances were an issue.
Rodríguez, 34, was able to secure loans to pay for her education, and with assistance from Social Work Professor Jennifer Propp, Ph.D., she flourished, earning a bachelor’s in social work and Spanish in May. “Dr. Propp gave me that emotional support I was lacking,” says Rodríguez, who began work this fall at the University on a master’s degree in social work.
Recognizing the importance of getting at the heart of obstacles to success for foster care youth, Rodríguez is now educating others. With guidance from Dr. Propp, she developed a research project called “Life Beyond Foster Care,” which examines how the lack of support and misperceptions make a difference in academic achievement.
Through her research project—and participation in a campus initiative called Foster Student Success—Rodríguez reinforced what she knew from personal experience: that social and emotional support are essential for academic success.
Rodríguez felt empowered to present her findings in April at the 21st Annual Undergraduate Research Conference at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She discussed the need for further scholarships and strategies students like herself can put into play when they find themselves unsupported in a new academic environment.
It’s now on Rodríguez’s agenda to expand the Foster Student Success initiative by helping to write a grant proposal, develop a mission statement and conduct an assessment of the program’s needs. She will also encourage high school students to consider a college education. “I want to make their lives easier,” she says.
