This summer, while thousands prepare to begin college next semester, Tenniel Wallace will not have to worry about tuition. The Estacado High School graduate received a $90,000 scholarship from Family Fellowship—a foundation serving young adults who have been in foster care.
“It was so generous,” Wallace said. “I talked with my adviser who said the scholarship is even enough to cover my first year of law school after I finish at Prairie View.”
The Family Fellowship awards $90,000 to 15 young adults who are or have been in foster care, nationwide.
Tenniel and her twin brother, Taylor, entered the care of Child Protective Services when they were 14 years old.
Between foster placements and growing up, finding permanent housing through the state foster system became less and less feasible until state social services referred them to Buckner Children and Family Services’ Aftercare Program. The service program is designed to set young adults up for independent living after they have aged out of the foster care system.
“The people at Buckner helped us find a place to live,” Wallace said. “They helped me with my education and showed me how to apply for the Family Fellowship scholarship.”
Wallace will attend Prairie View A&M University in the fall where she plans to pursue a degree in business administration and management.
“Right now my brother and I are just getting ready for school, finding what we need for dorm life,” Wallace said. “It’s a lot, but I’m excited.”
About the Family Fellowship:
Through the generous introduction by Hope D. Smith with her husband Robert F. Smith, the president and founding board of director of the Fund ll Foundation, Together We Rise has partnered with the Fund ll Foundation to support youth in foster care with financial, educational, and wrap around support.
Together We Rise (TWR) is a non-profit comprised of motivated young adults and former foster youth. TWR seeks to improve the lives of foster children in America, who often find themselves forgotten and neglected by the public. TWR collaborates with community partners to bring resources to foster youth and use service-learning activities to educate volunteers on issues surrounding the foster care system.
About Buckner Children and Family Services:
For more than 137 years, Buckner Children and Family Services has been transforming lives through hands-on ministry, serving the most vulnerable from the beginning to the ending of life. Buckner is one of the oldest faith-based social service organizations of its kind, serving people each year in the United States and worldwide.
(Press release from Buckner Children and Family Services)
