Dr. Patricia Benesh (nee Cohen) saw the need for postsecondary scholarships for former foster youths when she was mentoring a former foster youth who, having graduated UCLA, wanted to pursue a master’s degree. But financial help was virtually nonexistent other than a student loan, which was best avoided. That was the incentive for Dr. Benesh to help establish the MASTER YOUR DREAM (MYD) program at San Diego’s Just in Time for Foster Youth (JIT). In the 10+ years since the program’s inception, 72 youth have been awarded MYD scholarships and 51 scholars have graduated with their postsecondary degrees, a 99% success rate. Another 16 MYD scholars are in the process of earning their advanced degrees.
Below is a video of the the 2025 Master Your Dream report.
Now Dr. Benesh is expanding the foundation’s support, offering postsecondary scholarships to former foster youth by partnering with organizations throughout the United States.
Rather than give directly to graduate foster youth, we provide postsecondary scholarships through local and national organizations.