Krislyn Massey ('24) remembers the uncertainty she felt as she stepped onto the UNT campus as a first-generation college student with a foster care background. Without a family history of higher education to guide her, the path ahead seemed daunting. Yet, through the support of the Persevere UNTil Success Happens (PUSH) program, she found the resources, mentorship and confidence she needed.

"The PUSH program has been the support a first-generation foster kid like me needed," Massey, an international studies graduate says. "They taught me how to study, manage my finances and advocate for myself, helping me graduate debt-free and enroll in a master's program in human security. My future is bright because I made it that way, and PUSH showed me I had the ability to do so all along." 

Massey 's journey is just one of many being transformed by UNT's commitment to empowering students with foster care backgrounds. A $1.1 million grant from the Moody Foundation's M-Pact Fund is amplifying these efforts, opening new doors and expanding opportunities for students statewide. This initiative is set to redefine educational support systems, ensuring that students like Massey not only access higher education but thrive within it. Seven institutions that stretch across Texas are at the center of this grant.

One of the seven institution pilot sites is UNT's PUSH program, a comprehensive support network covering academics, financial literacy, career readiness and social wellbeing for students who have experienced foster care. The new funding will allow PUSH and other institutional campus support programs to partner with Education Reach for Texans, a nonprofit focused on improving post-secondary outcomes for students with experience in foster care across the state by providing technical support and training.

Elizabeth With, UNT's senior vice president for the Division of Student Affairs, sees this collaboration as pivotal.

"This partnership is an opportunity to impact student success in profound ways," With says. "It enhances our efforts to cultivate success among students with foster care backgrounds. We're thrilled to welcome Education Reach for Texans to our campus and look forward to the strides we'll make together."

The grant not only strengthens PUSH's existing programs but also introduces an innovative statewide peer mentoring model. Managed by UNT, this program will hire and train students with lived experience in foster care to mentor their peers and encourage them to utilize the Texas Tuition and Fee Waiver to realize their academic dreams.

Ryan McLendon ('24), an English major who benefited from PUSH, reflects on the significance of the program in his own life. "PUSH showed me what it meant to have a purpose in life. I came to UNT because of the Summer Bridge program, and PUSH gave me a steady environment to acclimate in as I went from Magnolia, a town of roughly 3,000 people, to a campus of more than 46,000."

During his time with PUSH, McLendon was given a chance to grow as a scholar, but it was the personal touch that left the deepest impact. "When I signed up for Summer Bridge, they asked me for details like my favorite snack and song. I didn't think much of it until I arrived on campus, shaken from a four-hour drive on my own. I walked into my dorm trembling and saw a bag of dried chili mangos sitting on my desk. Someone on staff had taken the effort to do this just to greet me. I felt more loved and seen by that one act of kindness than I'd felt in years."

With each student's journey comes unique challenges, notes Sheila Bustillos, director of assessment in UNT's Division of Student Affairs and co-founder of Education Reach for Texans. "Only 16% of students with experience in foster care graduate with a degree in Texas," Bustillos says. "Research shows, however, that students who use the Texas Tuition and Fee Waiver are 3.5 times more likely to graduate with a postsecondary education credential."

The Moody Foundation's M-Pact Fund, part of a historic $1 billion commitment to Texas education over the next two decades, creates a statewide network of solutions, fostering collaboration and sharing best practices. The first cohort of grantees, including the UNT and Education Reach for Texans partnership, will convene annually starting in 2025 to exchange insights and strategies, building a robust support system for future generations.

"We're not working in isolation," Bustillos says. "By connecting with other institutions and support programs, we're creating a unified effort to support students with experience in foster care."

One of those students was Massey.

"My experience at UNT has shown me that with the right support, we can achieve anything," Massey says. "PUSH gave me that support and the belief that my past doesn't define my future."