Abstract
Former foster youth often face significant barriers in accessing and completing higher education, yet little research highlights the factors that contribute to their academic success. This qualitative study explores how former foster youth navigated university life and earned a bachelor’s degree. Through in-depth interviews with individuals who graduated from four-year universities, the research identifies five key themes that contributed to their success: family and social support, academic support, financial support, resilience through instability, and managing mental health. These themes underscore the resilience of former foster youth and the crucial role of external support systems in helping them overcome adversity. Using community cultural wealth theory as a framework, the study examines how these external supports and internal resilience enabled participants to persist in their educational journeys. Findings emphasize the importance of social and familial support, financial resources, mental resilience, and institutional guidance.