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Hoa Vo, ’23, is an agent of change.

Growing up in DeKalb, her journey through foster care fueled a deep passion for advocating for others. While at NIU, she witnessed firsthand the lack of support provided to former foster youth as they transitioned into college, leading many to drop out after their first semester.

“My goal is to empower individuals to make more intentional decisions in their lives, become the advocates they need and discover their own voice,” said Vo who earned bachelor’s degrees in both psychology and human development and family sciences from NIU in 2023.

Hoa Vo, ’23

“I am committed to continuing my work with minority and underrepresented communities.”

In 2021, Vo was an intern at Be Strong Families, a national non-profit organization that has been preventing child abuse and neglect through community-based, peer-to-peer activities since 2012.

Along with a fellow intern, she presented data identifying the lack of resources and support available to foster care youth and proposed a program to address it.

“At the time, we didn’t know what to expect. However, years later, the Department of Children and Family Services invested in more foster programs, contributing to the development of the Foster Progress Youth in Care-College Advocate Program, also known as Y-CAP,” Vo said.

Navigating college can be challenging for many students, and students coming from the foster care system face additional obstacles. The Y-CAP program provides critical academic and personal support for today’s students.

“The program understands that students can’t focus on academics when they are navigating adulthood without guidance and often find themselves in a fight or flight state,” said Vo. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in applied human development and family science with a specialization in marriage and family therapy at NIU.

This is how the program works: Y-CAP pairs peer advocates with foster youth who are either entering or continuing college. Advocates participate in training sessions and curriculum that covers essential topics such as resource access, vicarious trauma, conflict resolution and collaborative planning. NIU is one of six universities in Illinois that have active Y-CAP chapters, and Vo serves as a peer advocate.

“I provide ongoing support to NIU students with foster care experience by conducting workshops, planning events and meeting one-on-one with my mentees,” Vo said. “This experience has enriched my time as a Huskie by connecting me with a larger community and improving my leadership skills.”

After she graduates, Vo plans to continue working with minority and under-represented groups, aiming to become a therapist and potentially apply for doctoral programs with a goal of providing trauma-informed and culturally sensitive support.

Professor DeAnna Harris-McKoy, director of the specialization in marriage and family therapy program at NIU, said Vo is a great representative of the program and of the Huskie spirit.

“Hoa Vo is a smart, talented and determined student,” said Harris-McKoy. “It is evident that she takes her education and future career as a marriage and family therapist seriously. I am so excited to see where her knowledge, skills and talents take her after graduation.”

To learn more about Y-CAP, please visit foster-progress.org/ycap