Five Questions With: Merry Caswell

MERRY CASWELL is the administrative director of the First Star University of Rhode Island Academy. / COURTESY FIRST STAR UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND ACADEMY
MERRY CASWELL is the administrative director of the First Star University of Rhode Island Academy. / COURTESY FIRST STAR UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND ACADEMY

Merry Caswell is the administrative director of the First Star University of Rhode Island Academy and former principal of Slater Middle School in Pawtucket and Newport’s Cluny School. Caswell holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education/English from URI, a master’s degree in teaching from Rhode Island College and has done advanced graduate work in curriculum, administration, leadership and English Language Learners at Columbia University and the joint Ph.D. in Education program at URI/RIC. In 2007, she was named the Rhode Island Middle School Principal of the Year and the national runner-up, as well as receiving a Distinguished Alumna Award from URI.

PBN: For those who may be unfamiliar, what is First Star URI Academy—how did it begin and are there other academies?
CASWELL:
The First Star URI Academy was the brainchild of Hollywood producer Peter Samuelson, who was taken aback by the gloomy statistic that only 3 percent of students in foster care graduate from college. As a result, he started the first academy on the UCLA campus in 2011. The program exposes high school-aged youth in the state foster care system to the college experience during the summers, provides advocacy and support during the school year and teaches youth what is necessary to get to college and succeed. Hasbro Inc. has financially supported Samuelson’s venture, and locally, Karen Davis, senior vice president for global philanthropy and social impact, brought the idea to URI President David Dooley, who supported replicating the program here and the First Star URI Academy was initiated in the spring of 2012 with 26 students.

PBN: The opportunities you provide high school-aged foster youth are pretty unique; what are the types of experiences you expose them to and what are the program’s overall goals?
CASWELL:
First Star URI Academy is a year-round program that focuses on the academic achievement, self-sufficiency and psychosocial goals of high school-aged youth in foster care. Students attend a four-week residential experience at URI where they live in the dormitories, eat in the dining halls, take classes and participate in recreational, enrichment and community service activities. Students can earn college credits in courses including leadership, technology and media, engage in online reading and career readiness courses and receive individualized guidance counselor assistance preparing for their Common Application, college essay and in SATs. What I feel is one of the most powerful elements are the guest speakers that share their stories of their career paths and of overcoming obstacles. Our support continues during the school year with students meeting once per month for workshops and tours of college campuses, among other activities.

PBN: What are the statistics that support the importance of a program such as this?
CASWELL:
Children in foster care tend to have poor educational outcomes due to the lack of stability and support in their lives. National statistics show approximately 50 percent of foster youth graduate high school and 3 percent graduate college. In stark contrast, in our small cohort of youth at the First Star URI Academy, 96 percent have graduated high school and of the 10 students that graduated in 2016, three are heading to four-year colleges, four are enrolled in community colleges, one enlisted in the military, one is beginning studies at a technical school and one is taking a gap-year. Two-thirds of our students have raised their GPA more than one full percentage point, and all of them report knowing more of what it takes to go to college. An unexpected but extremely positive statistic is that 35 percent of our students have been adopted since entering the First Star URI Academy program. Longitudinal data shows that youth who age out of foster care face high risks of homelessness, poverty and incarceration. We are changing that trajectory for these youth in Rhode Island.

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PBN: How does First Star URI Academy receive its funding?
CASWELL:
Our program is a unique public-private partnership that includes the University of Rhode Island, the nonprofit agency Adoption Rhode Island and several corporate and private foundations. Most notably, in 2016, we’ve been supported by Hasbro Inc., Trimix Foundation, Identity Theft 911, BankRI, MetLife, Bristol County Savings Bank Charitable Trust and Episcopal Charities. URI contributes office space, access to administrative and campus programs and activities and development assistance from the URI Foundation. Adoption Rhode Island provides clinical, recruiting and research support as well as space for monthly meetings. While we do apply for grants that focus on postsecondary training and transitions, it has been a challenge to maintain stable funding due to our small size, in spite of our strong results and outreach efforts.

PBN: How would you describe the impact this program has on young lives and how can folks get involved?
CASWELL:
The best way to illustrate our impact is in the words of our students and a note I recently received that said, “Thank you for saving me and helping me. Without this program, I would be a different person, never thinking that I could go to college. Being a foster kid shouldn’t define me. This program has shown me all of the possibilities for me and my future.” I’m so inspired by how our students have learned to become advocates for themselves, built stable connections with caring adults, improved their academic profiles and explored careers and the college process. This program has afforded them a consistent, supportive environment much like a family and there are many ways people can get involved. We are always looking for tutors and mentors. Anyone who’d like to learn more can contact me at caswellm@uri.edu.

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