We are so thrilled to highlight Anjani C., a dedicated and passionate scholar who has achieved so much over the last year amidst several challenges. Last year, Anjani was infected with COVID-19 and during a check-in with his counselor, he expressed feeling depressed because his entire family had COVID-19. Right away, his counselor made a …
Our August Hero of the Month is Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, who helped launch our Pathways Program and became the first Director of Pathways before joining St. Joseph Center as President and CEO. Under her leadership, St. Joseph Center has tripled its staff, expanded its services, and broadened its geographic reach to secure a …
We are so proud of UFC alumna Florencia Valenzuela for her recent appointment as the First District’s commissioner for LA County’s Youth Commission! The Commission offers youth with a history in the child welfare system an opportunity to address fundamental challenges based on their lived experiences. Flo isn’t the first UFC alumna to make her …
We’re happy to announce our July Hero of the Month as Angelica Nwandu! Angelica participated in our UFC College Sponsorship program, which provided financial support to foster youth attending college and helped set her on a path to success. Angelica has gone on to accomplish great things and became the founder of The Shade Room …
We’re so proud of our UFC Scholars student Stacey, who recently graduated from Los Angeles City College with an Associate Degree in Social Behavior and hopes to become a police officer.
Stacey overcame many challenges in her journey to success. She did not have her driver’s license, which acted as a barrier in her application processes. She …
Our June Hero of the Month is UFC alumnus Torhon Barnes! Torhon spent 15 years as a social work professional and is currently the Chief of Staff at Orange County Health Care Agency. Torhon is also an advocate of the LGBTQIA+ community and through his position at L.A. Care Health Plan, he was able to …
One of our former UFC foster youth, Arroya Shepherd, has blossomed into a successful California business owner, and we couldn’t be prouder of how far she’s come! Arroya’s journey into the beauty industry started 6 years ago when she studied esthetics at Paul Mitchell after receiving a full scholarship from UFC partner Anastasia Soare of …
Our May Foster Care Hero of the Month is Connie Chung Joe, a social justice and AAPI foster care advocate here in LA County. Connie was the Executive Director of Korean American Family Services for more than a decade, helping provide culturally sensitive homes to AAPI foster children in Los Angeles. Her work helped to …
Our March Foster Care Hero of the Month, Jhamasa Lewis, is a member of the UFC Next Generation Board. She is also an entrepreneur, artist, activist, and the Director of Service Learning at Brentwood School. Jhamasa was dedicated to her educational pursuits growing up and became a first-generation college graduate in 2013. She then spent …
Despite facing many obstacles, Julisa, a dedicated, kind, and passionate young woman in our Scholars program, is on her way to fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. Currently, she is at Riverside City College but will be transferring to CSU Fullerton to complete their RN Program. Earlier in her journey, Julisa had to …