Centering the Success of College Students with Foster Care Experience- Feat. Dr. Mauriell Amechi

Описание: Academic preparation in high school is one of the strongest predictors of college enrollment, choice, and success. But access to high-quality schooling experiences remains elusive for young people experiencing foster care. Although youth in care typically aspire to attain a college education, it is well-documented that they face severe systemic barriers, including absenteeism, disproportionate placement in special education, and school instability driven by unstable placements, to name a few. During this interactive session, participants will (a) learn about the current educational status of foster youth, (b) discuss common barriers to student success and how Dr. Amechi overcame them, and (c) highlight various strategies for promoting educational resilience and college success.

About Dr. Amechi

Dr. Mauriell Amechi is a social scientist, professor, consultant, and nationally sought-after speaker with an enduring commitment to social justice and educational equity, particularly improving postsecondary education and workforce outcomes for marginalized learners. Previously, he served on the Old Dominion University and the University of Redlands faculty, producing policy-relevant research and teaching classes in higher education/student affairs administration. Inspired by his lived experience in kinship foster care, Dr. Amechi’s research agenda aims to understand and identify protective factors and policies that ensure more equitable educational experiences and workforce outcomes among adolescents aging out of foster care. His novel research agenda emphasizes the emic (insider) perspective, based on the presumption that oppressed communities possess solutions to the conundrums they face within their wisdom.

In 2020, Dr. Amechi founded Foster Youth Empowered, a mission-driven consulting firm that endeavors to close inequities in high school and college completion among underserved youth impacted by foster care systems, drawing upon the latest research and critical lessons from his lived experiences.

A native of Chicago, he earned a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and M.A. from Ohio State University. He also holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.