For two decades, the University of California, Berkeley has operated a program aimed at supporting students who have experienced foster care or housing insecurity. The initiative, which began as the Cal Independent Scholars Network and is now known as Hope Scholars, marked its 20th anniversary in 2025.
Tristan Lombard, an early participant in the program, described his initial skepticism when he received an invitation to create a wish list for dorm essentials before starting college. “If the university had not invested in someone like me and given me the financial aid, given me just some bed sheets, a welcome week, my life could have gone a very different route,” said Lombard. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2010 and later worked in nonprofits and higher education before becoming a marketing consultant.
The Hope Scholars program started with one staff member assisting one student. It has since expanded to a team of four full-time employees who have supported more than 360 students over its history, including 170 during the current year. Under director Charly King Beavers, enrollment tripled between 2020 and 2022. The program also broadened its services to include graduate students and secured additional funding for staff and office space.
At an anniversary event held in November, Beavers highlighted the significance of sustained investment in these students: “Hope Scholars’ track record shows ’20 years of proving that when we invest in students who have experienced foster care or childhood homelessness, we are investing in brilliance, in leaders, in scholars and changemakers.'”
Founders Michelle Kniffin and Deborah Lowe Martinez attended the celebration alongside alumni like Lombard. Kniffin initiated the effort after learning about new students arriving on campus without basic necessities or support networks.
Today’s Hope Scholars serves not only former foster youth but also others who were not raised by biological parents—such as orphans or those cared for by relatives. Beavers herself was orphaned young and raised by family members; she described her role as “a dream job” focused on improving access to higher education for those facing significant barriers.
Data show that fewer than two-thirds of California foster youth graduate high school within four years—a lower rate compared to their peers—and only a small percentage complete college degrees by their mid-20s.
Beavers explained some challenges: “You’re asking students who’ve moved through multiple schools and foster homes—who’ve faced instability and broken support systems—to arrive at one of the most demanding universities and already know how to succeed… Foster youth often don’t have someone they can turn to and ask, ‘How did you do this?’”
Alexis Wood, now a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at Berkeley who entered foster care at age ten, recalled feeling lost during her first attempt at college elsewhere due to unfamiliarity with academic expectations. She eventually transferred to UC Berkeley after attending community college locally; she now serves as a peer adviser with Hope Scholars.
Wood said: “Charly and Rebeca are always there in the way you don’t get in a university system.” Beavers added: “Everyone puts their heart into the work.”
Hope Scholars provides comprehensive assistance—including move-in packages with bedding supplies for new arrivals—as well as financial stipends ($3,000 initially; $2,000 thereafter), mental health counseling from clinicians such as Rebeca Borges (herself an alumna), academic advising services, peer mentorship opportunities, social events like game nights or Thanksgiving dinners (“gratitude dinners”), workshops introducing campus resources—and connections with adult mentors able to help navigate everyday tasks such as opening bank accounts.
Lombard credited his mentor’s support—including funding travel abroad—with shaping his outlook: “[Hope Scholars] really impacted my personal life by helping me start to see that there were people who genuinely want the best for you…”
To help bridge gaps between academia and employment opportunities often available through social capital networks unavailable to many participants growing up outside traditional family structures—the program organizes networking events with retired professors; arranges internships; facilitates tech company tours; offers funds covering professional attire costs or graduate exam fees; supports visits to prospective graduate schools.
Graduate students make up roughly one-fifth of current participants—with specialized programming including larger stipends ($6,000). Peer advisers such as Wood guide fellow graduates through complex issues unique to advanced study environments while demystifying application processes for undergraduates considering further education.
Senior Erick Mendes also acts as peer adviser while preparing for graduation—he will be first among his biological family members earning a degree—and has secured post-graduation employment within finance. Reflecting on common perceptions about children from foster backgrounds Mendes stated: “People here are spectacular and have beaten all the odds.”
A panel discussion during celebrations featured alumni working across diverse fields—from psychotherapy (Sonia Aldape) to engineering—who spoke candidly about overcoming adversity with support from Hope Scholars. Aldape noted: “It is also one of the reasons I ultimately became a therapist because I saw the great impact it had simply being an emotionally supportive space.”
During closing remarks at this year’s event Beavers announced plans for expanded office facilities within César Chavez Student Center due increased demand—a milestone welcomed by founders present.
Beavers concluded: “Hope is not a passive word; it’s not something to wait for. It’s something we build every day together… It’s what turned this small program into a legacy.”
