Support helps former foster children beat odds, succeed in college

"I was always the kid with no money and no parents to be with me," Christy Setola-Cyr said. "Both of my biological parents failed to do their job."

At 10, Setola-Cyr was removed from her home and began a decade of upheaval, living with foster families and with relatives. At 17, she ran away from a bad living situation. "Being alone, that has been the hardest thing," she said. But Setola-Cyr found an adoptive family and a place to succeed at Wake Technical Community College. On Monday evening, she shared her story at the annual banquet for Wake Tech's Fostering Bright Futures Program. "It has been a great support system," she said. "It has helped me to realize that I am not alone and someone cared for me." Fostering Bright Futures provides tutoring, mentoring, and financial support to students who have aged out of the foster system work toward a college degree. Setola-Cyr plans to complete her studies at Appalachian State University. She wants to be a language interpreter at a hospital. To help her make it there, Fostering Bright Futures surprised her with a $5,000 scholarship.