NSHE Foster Youth Success Initiative

Laura earned her Master of Social Work degree—with a concentration in administration and policy practice—from the University of Washington, in 2011. Laura then spent a little over six years—in San Francisco—designing and implementing postsecondary education access and success programming for current and former foster youth and young people experiencing homelessness/housing insecurity, as well as providing direct services and engaging in multiple forms of advocacy on their behalf. Laura worked in a variety of nonprofit and postsecondary education institution settings throughout her time in the Bay Area, before relocating to Las Vegas in August 2018.

In preparation for her relocation to Nevada, Laura sought out job opportunities that would allow her to continue pursuing her passion for providing intensive wraparound support to current and future college students with limited support systems and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. At that time, there were limited job openings focused on that specific area of postsecondary education assistance services; so, Laura sought out a position at Nevada State College (NSC), a 4-year institution where the majority of the students are from culturally diverse backgrounds and/or of the first generation in their families to attend college. At NSC, Laura advised students pursuing degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. While there, her desire to provide more comprehensive support to educationally disadvantaged students prompted her to seek out an active role with the NSC Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, through which she formed and chaired a subcommittee focused on serving students who are at risk of homelessness and/or current or former foster youth. That work then led her to the Foster Youth Ambassador role with NSHE, which Laura describes as her “dream job.”

In her spare time, Laura enjoys cooking, gardening, and spending quality time with loved ones. Favorite activities with loved ones include playing board and card games, spending time in nature, sharing delicious food, and engaging in good conversation. Laura also serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Clark County, a volunteer role supporting young people in foster care.

Jesse is a sophomore at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), majoring in psychology. His future academic aspirations include the possibility of attending law school and/or earning a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Jesse’s primary interests in the law and psychology fields include criminal law and psychopathology. While school comes first for Jesse, he is also an established leader in his community and an experienced advocate for children and young adults who have experienced foster care.

During his junior year of high school, Jesse served as the Secretary for the Clark County Department of Family Service’s Foster And Adopted Youth Together (FAAYT) chapter of the Nevada Life Youth Advisory Board, which is comprised of young people who have experienced foster care. Through that role, Jesse supported his peers in the Clark County foster care system with developing self-sufficiency and self-advocacy skills, as well as exploring future academic opportunities and engaging in community-building activities. In his senior year of high school, Jesse served as Mock Trial President and was a member of the National Honor Society.

After transitioning to UNLV, Jesse continued his advocacy work on behalf of students who have experienced foster care. He has served on the UNLV HOPE/Fostering Scholars Advisory Board since its inception, in August 2020. The advisory board is dedicated to providing technical assistance to the UNLV HOPE Scholars Program for students who have experienced homelessness, as well as the new UNLV Fostering Scholars Program (Fall 2021 launch) for students who have experienced foster care. Jesse also helped kickstart UNLV’s chapter of Fostering Community, a new campus-based club for students who have experienced foster care. He currently serves as the founding Vice President of UNLV Fostering Community and is supporting the club with gaining membership. Through his statewide Peer and Community Educator position, Jesse is also supporting other NSHE institutions with launching their own Fostering Community club chapters.

Aside from his foster care-focused advocacy work, Jesse actively engages with his community in a number of other ways. For the Summer 2021 term, Jesse was selected for a Congressional internship with Congresswoman Susie Lee. This has given him a chance to refine his customer service and writing skills and gain experience with constituent casework. Jesse is also currently involved with Consolidated Students of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (CSUN), UNLV’s undergraduate student government. Through CSUN, Jesse collaborates with his fellow UNLV students to benefit the university as a whole. Jesse is also on the UNLV Criminal Justice Mock Trial Team, through which he is honing his persuasive and logical skills, as well as learning how to successfully engage with the courtroom-based advocacy process. Additionally, Jesse is the Outreach Coordinator for UNLV’s Phi Alpha Delta International Pre-Law Fraternity (PAD), the only Pre-Law, co-ed Fraternity on campus.

As a college student who has experienced foster care, Jesse is passionate about serving his community and his peers who have experienced foster care through advancing equitable education opportunities and encouraging self-advocacy. Jesse is eager to expand his outreach, advocacy, facilitation, public speaking, and leadership skills through his NSHE role, building upon the foundational work of his 2020-2021 predecessor (the amazing Autumn Robertson!) to improve the reach and efficacy of the systemwide initiative. For fun, Jesse enjoys going to the movies, hiking, playing soccer, and traveling. His favorite superhero is the Flash.

Autumn, a full-time student at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), was the very first NSHE student to hold the Peer and Community Educator role. She helped to shape the position into what it is, and she set a high bar for what this student leadership role can achieve.

Autumn is not only a dedicated student, but also a demonstrated leader in her community and an experienced advocate for students who have experienced foster care. In high school, Autumn served as an officer for the Clark County Department of Family Service’s Foster And Adopted Youth Together (FAAYT) chapter of the Nevada LIFE Youth Advisory Board—a role which led to her serving a one-year term as the statewide Foster Youth Ambassador for the Nevada DHHS Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS), during her senior year. Through that position, Autumn engaged in self-sufficiency, self-advocacy, and education support work on behalf of young people in foster care across the state. Among many other projects affiliated with that role, Autumn represented Nevada youth in foster care at the two-day Chafee Program Alliance Grantee Meeting in Washington D.C. (August 2019), as one of 125 participants across 38 states and 1 tribal nation. Autumn also got involved with the NSHE Foster Youth Success Initiative, through her DCFS ambassador position, in a variety of ways. Autumn participated in the very first statewide NSHE Foster Youth Success Initiative Retreat (September 2019)—as the sole high school foster youth student representative—along with NSHE students with experience in foster care, NSHE staff/faculty, and community partners. Autumn also attended the Los Angeles-based Blueprint for Success Conference (October 2019)—a nationally renowned conference focused on postsecondary education preparation, matriculation, and persistence support for students who have experienced foster care—alongside the NSHE Foster Youth Ambassador and employees from 5 of NSHE’s colleges/universities. Additionally, Autumn has served on the Nevada Fostering Higher Education Committee since it launched in February 2020.

As a college student who has experienced foster care who is devoted to serving her community and advancing education equity, Autumn is very passionate about supporting her peers with their postsecondary education goals. When Autumn began the one-year position with NSHE, she said “it’s a great honor to be the first in this position and I hope to make it something great.” Well, she certainly made it something great, and we are thrilled that Autumn has now moved on to serve in a brand-new Foster Care Liaison role for the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, a very close community partner in the initiative work. Congratulations, Autumn! We look forward to our continued collaboration with you, and we are grateful for your continued service to the Nevada foster care community!