By Long Beach State’s Guardians Scholars Program is celebrating 26 graduates this semester, a milestone highlighting support of foster youth in higher education.
The program offers comprehensive services to help students navigate trauma, housing insecurity and academic hurdles. It works with organizations such as Ready to Succeed, Right Way Foundation and Foster Nation to offer career mentoring, internships and financial workshops, according to Associate Director Candi Marsh.
Ebony Tay
Ebony Tay is a narrative production major in the College of Cinematic Arts. Photo courtesy Ebony Tay
Ebony Tay, who is in the Narrative Division for Film Directing and a Bob Murphy Access Center member, transformed hardship into creative drive.
She is a passionate storyteller with musical roots. After a traumatic incident left her with complex regional pain syndrome, Tay graduated high school on student welfare. She never expected she would be able to afford college.
“Education clears the road to the impossible,” Tay said.
Tay said her journey from Santa Monica College to CSULB was dotted with foster-abandonment, cultural disconnection and being underestimated. These setbacks helped shape who she is today.
Guardian Scholars became her home, providing academic, financial and community support.
“Gold needs water. The water in our program that washes us are our counselors,” Tay said. “They help wash us and ready us to go back out on campus and guide us through our courses.”
She said her film project “LANE” is gaining industry attention, and she looks forward to telling inspiring stories and helping other foster youth, as she says, “find the gold within.”
Sequilla Lee
Sequilla Lee is graduating with a master’s in social work. Photo courtesy of Sequilla Lee
Former foster youth Sequilla Lee, who is graduating with a master’s in social work, has come full circle in her pursuit of her degree.
She spent seven years in Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and then made her way through the University of California, Santa Cruz, obtaining her undergraduate degree in 2009.
Returning to school through the Title IV-E program, a federal-funded program providing financial assistance to students pursuing a career in public child welfare, Lee immediately sought out Guardian Scholars.
“There’s no age requirement to be a part of Guardian Scholars, and that’s welcoming,” Lee said.
She said the program has provided support, including scholarships, emotional check-ins and help with costs like books and parking.
Despite personal loss and balancing family and school, Lee remains motivated by the memory of Peggy Greer, her “bonus mom,” and Erika Jupiter, a classmate.
“I use them as my strength when things get a little tough… why I’m pushing forward,” Lee said.
Proud of representing Long Beach State at the Title IV-E Summit, she looks forward to continuing her advocacy for foster youth.
Francisco Diaz
Francisco Diaz is graduating as a first-generation sociology major. Photo courtesy Francisco Diaz
For first-generation sociology major Francisco Diaz, the program equipped them with stability and encouragement. After their mother’s deportation and their father’s struggles with seven children, Diaz faced housing insecurity and educational instability.
“Education was my way out, it really was,” Diaz said.
Initially aiming to be a doctor, Diaz shifted to social work after discovering their passion for supporting foster youth. Despite early academic struggles and a learning disability, persistence led Diaz to CSULB where they found a supportive community.
Central to their success was the Guardian Scholars program and resources provided there.
“It’s the guaranteed housing — they put you on top of the list, so you’re automatically getting housing contingent as if you pay for it,” Diaz said.
As the first in their family to graduate from college, they credit the program and the university for helping them navigate this journey with confidence and care.
Shay Anderson
Shay Anderson is a senior business marketing major. Photo courtesy Shay Anderson
Shay Anderson, a senior business marketing major, describes her time with the Guardian Scholars program as transformative, particularly for building her self-reliance and confidence in seeking help.
Having transferred to CSULB, Anderson found a community that addressed both her academic and personal needs.
“I had to overcome asking for help, but they made it seem like, ‘This is accessible, and you are able to use our resources and you definitely should,’” Anderson said.
She said the program helped her adjust to in-person classes after the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with impostor syndrome as a former foster youth.
Overcoming these obstacles, Anderson said she excelled academically by passing her finance class with a high grade after a 24-hour study session.
“Being a former foster youth, I’ve always felt like I didn’t have a sense of belonging,” Anderson said. “The Guardian Scholars have honestly given me the sense that you belong here. You’ve worked hard to be here and deserve it just as much as everybody else.”
Anderson looks forward to a marketing career in Los Angeles, fueled by independence and self-assurance gained through the program.
