Danielle Hansen, Coordinator, Seawolf Scholars Program
To fulfill its mission, the Power to Soar Foundation needs strong collaborative partners. In 2016, Power to Soar established a grant for the Seawolf Scholars Foster Youth Program at Sonoma State University, which assists current and former foster youth in navigating their campus experience. This was shortly after Power to Soar Foundation’s founding.
Danielle Hansen, Coordinator of Seawolf Scholars shares her impressions of this collaborative approach, “Power to Soar Foundation members were eager to support current and former foster youth in any way possible. Dedication to the success of the students was the first, most obvious impression of Power to Soar.”
Danielle is also impressed with Power to Soar’s transparent operation model. “The executive board serves on a 100 percent volunteer bases, so there is no misunderstanding in the determination and commitment of this organization.
‘Motivating the motivated youth’ is only the beginning of what they are undertaking.”
One thing that surprised Danielle about working with the Power to Soar Foundation?
“How innovative they are. This is something that is not common to find within a non-profit or any other type of organization. Power to Soar is continuously looking at ways to improve the organization, and streamline access to services. Because the foster youth population is the most underserved population, Power to Soar has stepped up in filling a gap of support in a highly significant way.”
“Having worked with Power to Soar since their beginning in 2015, I’ve had the pleasure to present to the Executive Board and meet with the various board members on a multitude of levels. The original conversations between Seawolf Scholars and Power to Soar started with Board President, Vimal Srivastava. He is direct and offered a clear mission and purpose of the Foundation. It was through these initial conversations that our partnership was established. Since those conversations, Andrea Srivastava the Executive Director has stepped in to collaborate and fine tune the most effective services to offer.”
On-campus support is essential.
While Danielle is quick to give credit to Power to Soar, Andrea Srivastava is acutely aware of the vital ‘in-the-moment’ support Danielle often provides to the scholarship students as they face the reality of their college experience. Andrea says, “Many of these scholarship students lack a family support system of any kind.”
Who do they turn to when they experience a sense of being overwhelmed or underprepared?
Andrea adds, “Danielle is there to listen to their concerns and help them problem-solve and move through their challenges. She connects them with on-campus and even off-campus resources. She also encourages them to develop a campus community. Her warmth and compassion are invaluable.”
Four student scholarship awards were presented for the 2016/2017 academic year, with an increase in scholarship awards for the 2017/2018 academic year. The scholarship pool is highly completive, with financial need as a key condition, followed by extracurricular activities. The 2016/2017 awardees categories are: Graduate Student, Graduating Senior, Senior, and Junior. Each student displayed an elevated level of maturity and perseverance.
Danielle knows the value of this program to the students, “By receiving a Power to Soar Foundation Scholarship, these scholars are able to focus on their course work, rather than worrying about financial stability. In the end, this means everything.”
“A donor’s contribution to the Power to Soar Foundation goes directly to providing financial assistance for orphan and foster youth. This is almost unheard of, and one way to ensure your donation is doing what you want it to – investing in a foster youth’s future success.”