Foster Youth Success Initiative - Financial Aid Office

The Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) was created to help current and/or former youth from foster care to succeed at Ohlone College.

Students are eligible for supportive services if you:

• Have a Social Worker or Case Worker
• Live with a relative or someone else (not a parent)
• Don’t live at home, couch surf
• Live in their car
• Live in a foster (or group) home

Contact Deborah Griffin, FYSI Liaison, at (510) 659-6151 or send an email to dgriffin@ohlone.edu if you have questions. She:

• Helps with college information
• Has Financial Aid knowledge 
• Is familiar with your situation
• Will be sensitive to your needs
• Helps you figure out your college / career path
• Provides guidance on choosing your college major
• Can help you succeed in College

Did You Know…?

Appointments at the Student Health Center are free! They are paid for by your student health fee each semester. There are low cost fees for some services.

Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) Mission

The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) has recognized that there is a significant deficit regarding youth from foster care attending higher education. Acknowledging this need, they are sponsoring a concerted effort called the Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) to bring issues affecting these youth to the forefront and to improve the ability of these youth to access postsecondary education and benefit from the support services that are available but are often unknown to them.

Through the vision of the CCCCO, to create a statewide outreach and retention effort to better serve current and former youth from care, the FYSI was established. FYSI was built through CCCCO leadership and a strong foundation of individuals representing a myriad of agencies and postsecondary educational institutions that have formed a true collaborative effort that has evolved to become a statewide FYSI taskforce. The goals of this initiative are to improve:

• Access to student services and resources
• Access to academic support
•  Retention
•  Academic performance
•  Completion of units
•  Completion of programs and degree
•  Transfer rates to baccalaureate