Houston foster care student beats the odds, graduating from Texas Southern University
FULL: Houston woman shares foster care story
Rona-Lin Frank was raised in foster care and is rising above the odds as she will soon receive her bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University, something only a small percentage of youth in foster care achieve. She shares her story of growing up in the system and how her foster care mother influenced her education and personal growth.
HOUSTON - Many students in universities will be receiving their bachelor's degree in December, and one Houston-area woman is rising above the odds as a foster care student, receiving her degree from Texas Southern University.
Rona-Lin Frank, 25, moved to Houston from New Orleans, Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina struck. She bounced around from relative to relative until Franks says her brother notified Child Protective Services about the treatment she was receiving from her mother and the environment she was living in. Frank then went on to become a foster care youth.
She stayed in one home for a short while before having to leave after a few months and eventually, she found her way to another home with a mother she says was "born into my heart".
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"The one that I currently have, that has been my mother who was born into my heart I like to call her. You know, we aren't blood, but we are bonded by the situations that brought us together," Frank said.
Her foster mother pushed her to pursue her education and Frank attributes that as what helped her become the woman she is today.
"You know, I feel like not everybody can say that they had a good experience, but I feel like mine was not the worst one that you'll come across," she said. "You know, coming from the circumstances that I did come from, I can say that they were pretty rough. But I can say that I feel like essentially I ended up where I was supposed to be because that changed me as a person in a positive way."
The 25-year-old credits the mother "born into her heart" for being the one to encourage her to take risks and stand up for herself.
Frank is preparing to get her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas Southern University, which she was also influenced to pursue, based on her experience in foster care when she was younger.
According to a 2017 study from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, "Research shows that although over 80% of youth in foster care report wanting to go to college, only 2-9% who attend college receive a bachelor’s degree."
According to Frank, she had a psychologist who gave her insights she wasn't aware of and brought things out of her she didn't know she was capable of.
"So I feel like the people in my life kind of helped me shape what my career would look like for me, like what I wanted it to look like. So I feel like psychology was the field for me because I really do have a passion for helping people," she stated. "I feel like ever since I got help as an individual, I feel like that's a calling for me as well because I feel like I take pride in that. I take joy in that, and I really do like to see other people succeed."
Frank's message to other youth in foster care or who were formerly in foster care is to not quit.
"Your circumstances and your situation that landed you into care is not your fault. You know, you can't feel guilty about the things that have happened in your past," Frank said. "It does not mean that you have to give up on life as well, does not mean you have to give up on an education either. There are a lot of resources out there that can help former and current foster youth, and you have to take full advantage of it."