Five Acres Foster Care High School Graduate Receives $48,000 Scholarship to Lakeland University in Wisconsin

Five Acres resident Josiah Boyd, 18, who has been in foster care since he was nine years old, has received a $48,000 scholarship to Lakeland University in Wisconsin. Boyd came to Five Acres in 2016 as a resident of its residential program on the main campus in Altadena.

“I was surprised and happy,” said Boyd about when he received a letter in the mail from the university notifying him of his acceptance and scholarship.

June is typically a month where youth who are 18 years old or are graduating from high school are emancipated from the foster care system. The month of June can oftentimes be scary to young adults navigating their way through life, but Five Acres prepares teens in foster care by offering extended support in its group home, Solita, which is part of its Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP).

Serving children who cannot be served at home or in a suitable family setting, Five Acres’ residential program provides intensive, temporary out-of-home care and therapeutic services for children and their families. The charity’s residential cottages provide a safe, supervised space to restore balance to children and youth who have experienced abuse and neglect.

Having experienced problems with his family, Boyd was moved to Five Acres. Early on, Boyd set his sights on moving to Five Acres group home, Solita. Residential staff focus on independent living for the teen boys, aged 13 to 18, who live in the home to develop skills for when they leave the foster care system.

Boyd worked hard to attend John Muir High School and achieved his goal once he transitioned to Solita. Boyd’s plan was never to remain at Solita during his high school years, but after several unsuccessful attempts to return to family members and stay local to remain at his high school, Boyd made the decision to remain in Pasadena. He focused on playing offensive and defensive line on the football team at John Muir High School and graduating.

“[Five Acres] helped me become more responsible. They helped me to take accountability for my actions and taught me to control my anger,” said Boyd, who is happy to move on to the next stepping stone to get a higher education.

Having learned about Lakeland University in Wisconsin from his football coach, Boyd applied. To his surprise, he earned a $48,000 scholarship to the university. Boyd will be attending Lakeland University in the Fall where he will play for the university’s football team and major in psychology.

“I always wanted to learn about the human brain and how we make our decisions,” said Boyd, who will get an opportunity to explore this topic at the university.

While Boyd will be emancipating this month, he can be assured that Five Acres will continue to be a part of his extended family as he goes to college.

To learn more about Five Acres, visit 5acres.org.