USD-Magazine-Summer-2023

becoming homeless,” she recalls. “I was told USD didn’t have students in those circumstances.” But Avery knew of students on campus who were homeless, hungry and struggling to meet basic needs — all while attending classes and juggling life as a student. Within a year or so, the FAFSA form — officially known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — added questions that allowed students to note whether they were foster students, unaccompanied minors, emancipated minors or homeless. “That changed everything,” Avery says. “Now, the Office of Financial Aid can identify students whom we could invite to join the TRS program.” Another major turning point was when TRS gained the attention of two anonymous donors, who generously gave program. They said their goal was to serve as catalysts for others and to provide students with opportunities they might not have otherwise had. The TRS program started with three students and, this year, serves 15. Duong is proud to be one of those scholars. Her own story was part of a generational trauma that began years prior. Her grandmother grew up in Cambodia and survived genocide at the hands of the Communist regime known as a significant contribution to support the work of the

the Khmer Rouge, which came to power in the spring of 1975 after overthrowing the president of Cambodia. Over the next four years, the Khmer Rouge systematically killed more than 2 million people, including anyone thought to be an intellectual — doctors, lawyers, professors, teachers, those who spoke a foreign language, those who were leaders in the community and even those who looked scholarly simply because they wore glasses. After living through that, Duong’s grandmother came to the United States when Duong’s mother was 5 years old. Life here had its own difficulties and her grandmother suffered abuse at the hands of her husband. Eventually, her grandmother found the courage to leave her husband, but subsequently struggled with depression and alcoholism. Duong’s mother had no choice but to step up to care for her younger brother. That meant years later, having done her duty, the last thing she wanted to do when Duong was born was to be a mother. She wanted to dress in fancy clothes. She wanted to drink. She wanted to party. She wanted to enjoy the freedoms she didn't have while growing up. The last thing she wanted was to take care of a baby or to be tied down. Duong has hazy memories of her mother and grandmother drinking together, with music blaring in the background. The

advocate for foster youth,” says Duong, who is among the less than 1% of the nation’s foster youth who’ve earned a master’s degree and now hopes to join White-Smith as one of the even fewer in the ranks to complete her doctorate. “I’ll champion other students, like me, who work so hard to overcome the disadvantages they face. I’ll represent those who are underrepresented. I want to give these students their chance, their opportunity to have their voices heard, to have their dreams fulfilled. I want them to have their own renaissance.” During her time at USD, Duong was involved in Torero Renaissance Scholars, a program that provides support and resources to USD students from across the United States who identify as former foster youth, who are emancipated or unaccompanied minors, who were in legal guardianships, or who are homeless or are at risk for becoming homeless. [See the sidebar on page 31.] The program was established at USD in 2010 by former Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Cynthia Avery, EdD. Avery spent time as a court appointed special advocate and understood the struggles foster students often face in school. “After arriving at USD, I asked what support systems were in place for former foster students and students who were homeless or on the verge of

This month, she walked across the stage again, this time at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, with a Master of Arts in higher education from USD’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES). Kimberly White-Smith, EdD, dean of SOLES, is well aware of the obstacles students like Duong face, especially having been raised in the foster care system herself. [See her story on page 25.] “When I meet students who’ve made it through the gauntlet, I’m excited and proud because I know what they’ve been through to get here,” she says. “I’m also aware it doesn’t have to be that hard. A program like Torero Renaissance Scholars (TRS) is one pillar that fills in the gaps and help us navigate educational systems.” Another pillar is SOLES, which prepares teachers to address the needs of students who come from nontraditional households, learn differently or are neurocomplex. “That’s why Anita’s presence is essential, why it’s vital that she’s represented in the higher education space and why it’s important that she’s earning a master’s degree from SOLES, which will help her better serve this community,” White Smith says. “Just as I may be an inspiration to her, she too is serving as an inspiration to those who come behind her.” After turning her tassel, Duong plans to earn her doctorate in higher education. “My goal is not just to become an educator and a scholar but an

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