Part of EMU's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department is the Mentorship, Access, and Guidance in College (MAGIC), a government-supported program meant to service students who experienced foster care at an early age. EMU students who experienced the foster care system from ages 14 and up are offered support and tools to break down barriers that may affect their academic journey.
Raven Wood, an EMU alumni and graduate student, has been serving as the full-time coordinator for MAGIC since the summer of 2023. Wood, who is currently getting her Master's in social work, saw this position as the "perfect fit" for her.
Many students who were once part of the foster care system face many challenges from homelessness, food insecurity, and lack of support. Because of these challenges, only 20% of foster care youth attend a post-secondary education and roughly 3-4% attain a degree, according to the National Foster Youth Institute.
Because of these challenges, students may not have the privilege of the typical college experience.
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"They kind of build their own family. When they're coming to campus, they meet friends, they meet faculty, they meet staff. They kind of have to build their own support system here on campus for them because that's not something that they have at home," Wood said. "A lot of my students have to work. They don't have a choice. They have to work maybe one to three jobs to be able to support themselves because in between semesters or over the summer, they don't have anywhere to go."
"So MAGIC is really a program to support those students who have aged out of the foster care system. Transitioning into college life and adulthood. So we focus a lot on life skills, we focus a lot on building a support system for each student," Wood said.
Some of the support the program offers includes financial and educational workshops, monthly mentor meetings, tutoring, and connections to outside resources, such as the Casey Family Scholars Program, Fostering Success Michigan, Ozone House, and more.
As of now, there are 10 students enrolled in MAGIC all ranging from grade, areas of Michigan, and experience in the foster care system.
The personal information of students who are involved in the MAGIC program is confidential due to possible sensitive information. Though she cannot openly give out the identities of her students, Wood had plenty to say when describing her pride in her students.
"They're my EMU campus babies. So seeing over this past year, how since from my first day meeting them to this point now all of my students have grown so much," Wood said. "Seeing I actually do have one student graduating this semester and just seeing the growth in her and despite the barriers she's had this past year, being able to see her like be like 'this is my last semester and I'm pushing through these last final classes' and being able to see her at graduation. I might cry like she's my own kid."
To help with the affordability of parking passes, housing, books, and other needs, Wood is working on bringing more support to the program through donors and creating a relationship with the College of Health and Human Services.
"My vision for the program and my goal for the program is to expand the program to eventually include other students who have experienced homelessness or who might have experience like a non-traditional foster care," Wood said. "That's my future vision is to expand MAGIC and to include other students as well, because I do know there's other students on campus who their foster care might have looked differently or they might be homeless, or they might just be in a different situation than like the traditional state requirements."
Those interested in supporting the program can join their MAGIC Dine to Donate event by dining at Panera Bread on Washtenaw Avenue on Thursday, March 28, from 4-8 p.m. Those participating must show the flyer for the program to get credit.
