Gift gives foster youth at The Beach a place to call home

Diego De La Cruz found belonging at Cal State Long Beach.

The aspiring special ed teacher, a fourth-year liberal studies major, felt at home quickly upon arrival. De La Cruz's dreams — to lead a classroom and “show it’s possible that anyone can do anything” — are taking shape, and the community and support conveyed by the CSULB Guardian Scholars Program has made the campus feel like a true home away from home.

“They wanted me to succeed,” De La Cruz said. “They wanted me to achieve the dreams I want.”

De La Cruz, like other current and former foster youth at The Beach, can count on a committed team for comprehensive support services including academic advising, counseling, financial and housing assistance, and technology loans.  

“They always welcome me with a big smile,” De La Cruz said. “It doesn’t matter how your day is. Your day can be the worst; you will be greeted. They will welcome you with a big smile, making sure you’re OK.”

A recent gift by philanthropists Tom ‘68 and Carrie Corbett will bring significant improvements to the campus hub, now renamed as the Tom '68 & Carrie Corbett Guardian Scholars Resource Center, where current and foster youth go for support. The Center is currently co-located with the Veterans Services Office; the Corbetts’ gift will enable renovations creating a dedicated space for Guardian Scholars.  

The donation also will increase the Corbett Guardian Scholars Endowed Fund for scholarships, experiential learning and other activities.

“Our motivation for supporting foster youth programs is rooted in the belief that every person deserves the opportunity to thrive, regardless of the circumstances they were born into,” Tom and Carrie Corbett said. “By providing financial support to foster youth programs, we aim to help create pathways to stability, education, personal development and long-term success.”

'You were meant to be here’

Guardian Scholars case manager Howard Channel looks forward to the Corbett Resource Center offering a renovated communal area, with room for on- and off-campus partners to meet with students and point them toward helpful resources. The Center will also acquire new loaner laptops and color printers to help Guardian Scholars complete class assignments.

“Whatever our students need, we’re going to be able to create it in our space, so they feel more at home,” Channel said.  

Paulina Alonso ‘26 said one of the most important ways Guardian Scholars helped her complete college was the encouragement her advisors provided.  

“They would always say to me, ‘You belong here. You were accepted because you were meant to be here," she said.

Alonso completed her undergraduate work in journalism and now eyes a master’s in social work. Guardian Scholars, known under its current name since 2016, started out as the EOP Foster Youth Network in 2012. Since 2016, more than 120 Beach students have earned bachelor’s degrees after participating in Guardian Scholars, according to preliminary data, and nearly 20 such students have earned master’s degrees.

‘They’ll be free’

The Corbett Resource Center already fulfills multiple needs: It’s a gathering place for Guardian Scholars to grab a snack with peers, get internet access or seek support and guidance.

“They really care about you, and your life and your family,” Heaven Mitchell, a fourth-year consumer affairs student, said. “They provide a sense of support as well as materialistic things. ... Guardian Scholars has literally helped me in every way imaginable.”

For Mitchell, this support has included the Guardian Scholars Scholarship, help with housing and even connecting her to an organization that covered fuel costs for a visit to her grandparents.  

Guardian Scholars also benefit from priority registration and housing assistance that includes the option of staying in campus residences during summer and winter breaks. Participants can also attend a mountain retreat with peers from other campuses.

The full scope of services available via Guardian Scholars maximizes the prospects for current and former foster youth to realize their dreams.

“When I got my college degree, I considered myself to be free,” Channel said. “Our students will be able to do the same thing. They’ll be free. They’ll be able to do any job or career they’ve wanted.”