A Foster Care Journey Worth Celebrating: Eli's Path to Becoming a College Grad!

As so many students prepare to walk across the stage, we want to celebrate a story of resilience from a young man who entered foster care and is now earning his college degree.

While graduation is a milestone many celebrate, it’s one that remains out of reach for most youth in foster care—only about 3–4% will go on to earn a college degree.

That’s what makes this moment so powerful. This is more than a graduation—it’s a story of perseverance, support, and the impact of people who chose to invest in a young person’s future.

Today, we celebrate not just a graduate, but a life that defied the odds. 

“I was born in Anderson, South Carolina, and spent the first part of my childhood there with my biological family. At age 11, my life changed when I entered foster care. Like many older children, I wasn’t a baby or a toddler—I was a preteen, already carrying experiences, questions, and uncertainty about what the future would hold.

My first placement was short, lasting only about a month. Then, I was placed with Mary and Reginald Wright Sr.—a family who chose to invest in me. That choice changed everything.

They welcomed me with open arms, gave me stability, and showed me what it looked like to be supported, encouraged, and loved. They didn’t see me as “almost grown” or “too late”—they saw potential. At 15 years old, they made it official that I belonged with them by adopting me.

Because someone chose to invest in me as a teenager, I was able to thrive. I stayed focused in school, maintained honors grades while working 2 years at McDonald’s, and even took dual enrollment classes in high school. I graduated with honors, worked consistently, and stepped into adulthood with confidence.

After high school, I pursued the military, and while that path didn’t ultimately work out due to health challenges, I didn’t lose direction. I pivoted again. I went back to working hard at McDonald’s but knew I needed to go  to college. I was accepted into the honors program at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort, and pursued degrees in Biology and Psychology. Today, I am a senior preparing to graduate May 1st and applying to graduate school to continue studying psychology, with hopes of working in forensics, a  direction I became passionate about in college. 

My story is not just about perseverance—it’s about what happens when someone chooses to invest in an older child.

There are so many teens entering foster care who are often overlooked because they aren’t “little” anymore. But they still need families. They still need guidance, stability, and someone who believes in them.

I am living proof that it is never too late to change the trajectory of a young person’s life.” - Eli Wright 

If you’ve ever wondered if fostering or adopting an older child makes a difference—it does. It can change everything.

Epilogue to this story - The Wrights’ commitments and Eli joining the family and bonding with his big sister inspired her to become a foster parent to many teens herself. It’s our joy to serve her as she serves them! 

The siblings on a family vacation.