For foster youth, the leap from college to a career is steep—only 4% graduate, and even fewer land the kind of career-track jobs that build stability. Talent isn’t the problem. Access is. Most don’t have the networks, connections, or safety nets that help other young people get ahead.
RTS fills that gap. For foster youth, we turn college into a launchpad for economic mobility.
Our four-year Career Accelerator starts sophomore year and continues through the first year after graduation—the make-or-break period for career success. We provide coaching, scholarships, mentors, internships, and access to a powerful professional network.
We give Scholars what most young people inherit from family: guidance, opportunity, and connections to adults who can support them professionally and personally
Since our founding in 2016, we’ve served nearly 1,400 Scholars and alumni. These are determined, inspiring young people who have overcome significant barriers—and who, with the right support, are transforming their futures.
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Every year, more than 4,000 foster youth in California start college. Most face it alone—without family support, financial resources, or the professional networks that make the leap from classroom to career possible.
Without intervention, too many leave school early or graduate without a clear path forward, often stuck in hourly wage jobs and detoured from career-track positions with potential for growth and facing challenges including:
Former foster youth in college are at constant risk of being derailed by the hidden costs of living. All too often, temporary challenges become permanent setbacks. RTS' Basic Needs Scholarship provides $5,000 per student, per year for essentials like housing, food, transportation, and healthcare— so Scholars can stay on course, focus on their goals, and build lasting independence.
Real Results. Lifelong Impact.
Natalie and Stephanie Catalan grew up in Los Angeles’s foster care system, where the odds were stacked against them. Without adequate family or campus support, navigating college and career paths felt overwhelming.
Through RTS’s Career Accelerator Program, they gained career coaching, industry mentors, paid internships, and the stability to focus on their goals. Today, Natalie is VP of Business Development at Canyon Partners and an RTS Board Member and Stephanie is a Global Solutions analyst at Ares management. They’re proof: when foster youth have the right support, they don’t just graduate—they thrive.
Natalie and Stephanie Catalan grew up in Los Angeles’s foster care system, where the odds were stacked against them. Without adequate family or campus support, navigating college and career paths felt overwhelming.
Through RTS’s Career Accelerator Program, they gained career coaching, industry mentors, paid internships, and the stability to focus on their goals. Today, Natalie is VP of Business Development at Canyon Partners and an RTS Board Member and Stephanie is a Global Solutions analyst at Ares management. They’re proof: when foster youth have the right support, they don’t just graduate—they thrive.
