TAMPA, Fla. — Walking to class, Kaitlynn White still can’t believe she’s a student at USF. Growing up in the foster care system, she cycled through more than 50 foster homes in 15 years. She says attending college was the furthest thing from her mind.
“It impacted my school, it impacted my mental health, my physical health, it literally impacted every single aspect of my life,” said White. “Aging out of care I really didn’t have a family or support system to really bridge that gap to help me get to the places I needed to be and where I could be.”
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That’s when she was introduced to Effie Santos, founder of the non-profit organization Madi’s Movement.
“Madi’s Movement is a dream of my daughter Madison that we lost tragically back in 2001,” said Santos. “We support teens as they are aging out of the foster care system, equipping them with the resources, connection and support to be totally self-sufficient.”
Effie says only three percent of foster children go on to earn a college degree, yet in Florida, all of them are eligible for free tuition.
“Why is that 97 percent gap, it’s because they need the help and support to apply, to navigate the whole process and system,” said Santos.
“Madi’s movement helped me make sure I got all my scholarship documents in order, helped me make sure I got my college application and everything.” said White, one of more than 350 foster care youth to be helped by the organization.
Kaitlynn is now just two semesters away from graduating from USF with a degree in fine arts. She even started her own business, The White Space Studios, selling art online and teaching art classes to kids currently in the foster care system.
“Art was such a big escape and such a big creative outlet for me, so helping these kids also find their creative outlet has been an incredible blessing,” said White.
Kaitlynn hopes her voice in the community is an inspiration to others.
“We can be heard, and we can achieve all of our dreams and our possibilities,” said White.
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