Foster Youth Turn Tassels: How Life Skills Programs Shape Second Chances

When Douglas Crockett talks about acting, you can feel the weight of his dream—a passion he’s held since he was eight years old. What makes his graduation ceremony in Solano County this May different from the typical cap-and-gown walk isn’t just the diploma. It’s the fact that he got there at all.

Foster youth face obstacles most of us never encounter. Some shuffle between five to ten different high schools before they turn eighteen. The instability of the foster care system doesn’t care about GPA or potential—it just disrupts. That’s where First Place for Youth steps in. For eighteen years, this Fairfield-based nonprofit has been quietly rewriting the script for young people aging out of the system, and their graduation ceremony tells a story about what happens when someone actually has your back.

The class of 2026 walking across the stage this spring represents more than academic achievement. Ro’Quan Gardner spent his entire life drawing; now he’s using art to process mental health. Devin Smith is heading to Sacramento State to study social work, determined to help others navigate the same challenges he faced. Jakeem Mobley is ready to embrace adulthood with open eyes. These aren’t just graduation aspirations—they’re proof that stability, mentorship, and practical support can fundamentally alter the trajectory of a young person’s life.

Vice President of Programs, Education and Employment Erica Waterford gets it: instead of assigning blame for the chaos these kids have endured, First Place for Youth holds their hand through it. The program teaches budgeting and hygiene, sure—the basics that should never be luxuries. But it also teaches emotional intelligence, how to understand yourself, and how to show up for others. That’s the real curriculum. These graduates didn’t just learn to survive the transition to adulthood; they learned to thrive in it. And they did it with people who believed in them the entire way.