Celebrating 20 Years of First Star!
This year's 20th Anniversary Celebration was bigger and better than ever! Thank you to all of our honorees, supporters, guests, ambassadors, friends, staff, and volunteers who joined us to help commemorate this remarkable milestone.
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A glimpse of our fun-filled day at the Skirball Cultural Center.
Our 2019 Honorees
We can't thank our 2019 Honorees enough for their dedication to First Star's mission and their unending support of our scholars.

Our 2019 Honorees: Devin Alexander, with presenters Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett (top left), Jay Paul Deratany with First Star President Peter Samuelson (top right), WellCare Community Foundation representative Karen Johnson with ASU Academy Director Gabriela Jimenez (bottom left), and David Eilenberg with First Star Board member Vince Thompson (bottom right).
Our Scholars and Peer Mentors



One highlight of the day was getting to hear from our scholars and peer mentors themselves. Two of our UCLA Academy scholars, Khalia and Carlos, spoke about the love and support they have found at First Star and how that has given them the courage to chase after their dreams. Peer mentor Riccardo Dale spoke about his unique experience as a peer mentor at both our Rowan University and UCLA Academies. All three embody the transformational power of First Star's work. We can't wait to see what their futures hold!

HUGE thanks go to our amazing volunteers, who made the day run smoothly.

The First Star team is forever grateful for your continued commitment to our work. We can't wait to see what the next 20 years have in store!



(Pictured left to right: Erin Buchanan, Robin Winston, Peter Samuelson, Lyndsey Collins,
Jennyann Gallo, Brian Ritchey)

Couldn't attend this year's Celebration?
You can still support our amazing scholars!
Donate Today ([link removed])
First Star Announces New CEO and COO

On Sunday, September 22, 2019 at our 20th Anniversary Celebration, our Co-Founder and President, Peter Samuelson, announced two promotions: Lyndsey Collins as Chief Executive Officer and Robin Winston as Chief Operating Officer. We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter for First Star, under such passionate and committed leadership.
Lyndsey Collins
Chief Executive Officer

Lyndsey first joined the First Star family as our UCLA Bruin Guardian Scholars Academy Director before becoming our National Director of Academy Operations in 2017. In that role, she has been indispensable in expanding and implementing the Academy program across the country. A graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, Lyndsey began her career with Teach For America as a science teacher in Atlanta. Her exemplary efforts during that time resulted in Lyndsey earning the prestigious Atlanta Families Award for Excellence in Education. Lyndsey served as a school leader for five years in Inglewood, CA where she developed a strong leadership model used to support the growth of her middle school. She has traveled around the world working with young people and adults to support learning and lead workshops in leadership and student achievement. Lyndsey is and will always be committed to making positive change in the lives of young people.

Robin Winston
Chief Operating Officer

Robin joined First Star in 2011, just as our Academy program was beginning and has been an intricate part of First Star's national growth over the last eight years. Before becoming the Executive Director in 2016, Robin lead First Star's development efforts. Her leadership and guidance has been the driving force behind First Star's emergence as a national thought leader in transforming the lives of transition-aged foster youth. Prior to First Star, Robin worked with DoSomething.org as the Los Angeles Director where she oversaw the expansion of the New York-based teen social-action organization. Before that, she spent seven years at an event production firm where she spearheaded dozens of successful events for organizations such as the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, MOCA, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, HRC, Women in Film, and Heal the Bay.
Shaquille O'Neal Presents

2019 First Star Honoree Jay Paul Deratany penned the soon to be released film, Foster Boy, produced by First Star President Peter Samuelson. Starring Matthew Modine, Louis Gossett, Jr., and Shane Paul McGhie, the film is a pulse-pounding cinematic legal drama that activates reform against corruption in the U.S. foster care system. Foster Boy will be premiering at the Nashville Film Festival ([link removed]) and International Black Film Festival ([link removed]) this week, with many more festivals to follow.

Shaquille O'Neal, an executive and presenting producer on the film, wrote an Op-Ed, Foster Care: The Great Untold Story, for the Tennessean. He hopes that the film will draw popular attention to the plight of foster kids and ignite a national conversation about what we can do to improve their lives. "Foster kids are not just someone else’s kids – they’re our kids. There is so much we can do to help them, but it all starts with shining a light on their circumstances." Read the full op-ed here. ([link removed])

Watch the Foster Boy trailer below. To learn more about the film and ways you can help foster youth, check out the website here ([link removed]) .
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First Star In the News

First Star, along with other leading children's organizations, signed onto Children's Rights Amicus Brief ([link removed]) , filed two months ago, challenging the administration's new regulations that would overturn protections for immigrant children and their families. The brief argues that detention, even with their families, inflicts long-term irreparable psychological damage on children. Last week, on Sept. 27th the US District Court for the Central District of CA ruled in our favor, blocking these new regulations from going into effect, and has ensured continued protection to vulnerable immigrant children.

Our First Star Arizona State University Academy was featured on ABC15 Arizona News ([link removed]) , to highlight the need for more foster youth resources in the region. ASU Academy student Parker Lopez now dreams of attending college, all thanks to participating in the First Star Academy, "I was scared of going here, so I tried to close myself off a lot. But, in the end, [First Star] was the best place for me." ASU Academy Director Gabriela Jimenez spoke on the importance of First Star's work, preventing transition-aged foster youth from going down a path that can lead to incarceration, homelessness or even death.
Stay connected to us!
Our newsletter will continue to track our scholars' growth and development and the initiatives and projects led by our team. We are excited to share this journey with you!
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