Foster Youth Finds His Way at Cerritos
Joel Castro grew up in foster care, staying with his aunt’s big family. There was
never any privacy or a quiet space for him to study in the house. Joel’s friend Matt
routinely invited Joel to his home to study or to have dinner. For Joel, Matt’s house
was a refuge. Three years ago, Matt’s parents invited Joel to live with them during
his time at the College. There, Joel was finally able to feel at home, and had someone
whom he can look up to for the first time, especially Matt’s father who was an entrepreneur.
In fall 2016, Joel enrolled at Cerritos College as a business major. However, he did not have a successful first semester. He struggled with his business classes and became ineligible for financial aid.
Despite a few setbacks, Joel discovered EOPS and the LINC program on campus and was able to turn his college life around. He received assistance with career assessment, study plans, and made connections with staff, counselors and other students. Joel also landed a part-time job with LINC. Joel discovered his career interest in sport marketing through career assessment, and changed his major to communications. From there, everything fell into place and he began to excel.
In spring 2019, Joel received the Foster Youth Scholarship, and graduated from Cerritos College with an associate degree for transfer in communication studies. This fall, Joel will be attending San Francisco State University, and is eyeing a master’s program in communications and a career in sports entertainment.
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