After a spring filled with graduation ceremonies and end-of-school-year celebrations, our Academies are heading into their summer sessions! Living on campus will have to wait until next summer, but there's still plenty of in-person fun to be had this year. Almost all of our Academies will be able to incorporate in-person activities into their summer programming, including a white water rafting trip, leadership camp, and even day-long campus visits. This hybrid assortment of virtual and in-person sessions means that more students will be able to take part in summer activities, preparing them for the fall sessions and a new academic year ahead!
First Star's Collaborative Virtual Summer Academy
This spring our Academy Directors came together to collaboratively plan a virtual summer program that each Academy could offer to their students. The week-long event is an opportunity for our students to take a variety of workshops, strengthen their team-building skills, and network with other First Star scholars from all across the country.

2021 Virtual Summer Academy Credly Badge

All scholars who complete the virtual summer Academy will be eligible to receive the Credly badge that outlines skills and knowledge learned throughout the Summer Academy! It can also be used on college applications and LinkedIn profiles!

First Star Academy Summer Fun
In addition to this action-packed week, we are thrilled that many of our Academies will be hosting their own in-person activities throughout the month. Now that the world is starting to open up again, we know that this summer will set our students up for success as they matriculate into the next grade level this fall!
First Star Arizona State University Academy

Our First Star ASU Academy offered a virtual summer program this June by creating a unique university experience with the opportunity to broaden and enhance college readiness in academics, life skills, and personal development, while also facilitating students’ self-discovery through experiential activities, research, and academic instruction. Engagements included a college panel, workshops on how to pay for college, prepare a personal statement, and planning for senior year. There were also activities in art, forensics, storytelling, in addition to collaborative activities with their peers including a virtual escape room!
First Star KVC Academy

As one of our newest Academies, staff and scholars from the First Star KVC Academy in West Virginia, were able to gather together for the first time to embark on a day of white water rafting on the Lower New River in Lansing, WV ([link removed]) . The action-packed day was the perfect way for our KVC Academy scholars and staff to finally meet each other in person, starting off their summer with leadership training and community building. First Star national team member Brian Ritchey was able to join the scholars, along with leadership from KVC. Along with other First Star swag, a partnership with TabletKiosk ([link removed]) , provided each scholar with an 8-inch Android tablet with front and rear-facing cameras. Go team KVC!

First Star Sacramento State Academy

After embarking on its inaugural year in fall 2020, our First Star Sacramento State Academy closed the school year with its End of Year Celebration event on Thursday, June 24. It was an extraordinary gathering of university leaders, community child welfare supporters, Academy staff, and of course, our incredible scholars! Led by Academy Director, Linda Ram, the event highlighted the journey of the Sac State Academy from its sudden transition into the virtual world, its amazing peer mentors, and hearing from committed community supporters who helped pull the vision of the Academy together. It all culminated with Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelson tugging at our heartstrings with his emotional address, leaving everyone feeling inspired with what the future holds for our scholars. "Stingers Up!"
First Star University of Miami Academy Graduates their Inaugural Class!
Ronnie Stevens (left), one of the graduating seniors, with Kaitlyn Casanas (center), Assistant Academy Director, and Maria Pia De Castro (right) Academy Director.
On June 16th ([link removed]) , our First Star University of Miami Academy celebrated the graduation of their inaugural class of seniors! ([link removed]) Comprised of 17 seniors, the scholars were surrounded by a contingent of University of Miami students, alumni, and faculty, many of whom served as mentors, teachers, and staff over the past four years. “What stands out for me is that no matter the life struggles—and so many of these students have been so marginalized and had to overcome so much—there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel,” Assistant Academy Director Kaitlyn Casanas said. “They have learned to accept the help offered them and been able to graduate high school. They’re incredibly capable of so much.” We are so proud of all our University of
Miami seniors for their perseverance these past four years and can't wait to see what the future holds for each of them!
To add to their year of firsts, the First Star University of Miami Academy has also partnered with T-ROC ([link removed]) (The Revenue Optimization Companies) and One Laptop Per Child ([link removed]) to offer laptops to all 25 of our UM rising juniors and seniors. As part of the surprise, they have created a tailored curriculum for the Academy's 2021 summer session, which will include resume writing workshops, interview skills, assessment test practice, and more. The inaugural class of graduating seniors will have the chance to stay on as summer interns, with the hope of one day becoming T-ROC employees themselves.
Support Our First Star Scholars Today! ([link removed])
First Star National STEAM Academy
This summer, the First Star National STEAM Academy is engaging First Star scholars at a number of our Academies for summer STEAM activities focused on Artificial Intelligence. STEAM Academy workshops start with a conversation on AI and Drawing, adapted from our curriculum partner AI4All ([link removed]) , followed by a build of either an animation machine or a pair of headphones. The STEAM Academy will also be hosting a drone-making workshop as part of the collaborative Virtual Summer Academy.

Students at our First Star University of Miami Academy
spending an afternoon making headphones!

Keep an eye out this summer for more news on the launch of the First Star National STEAM Academy's Fall Tech Talk Series, where our scholars will again have the opportunity to hear from world-renowned experts in the STEAM fields and take part in monthly lab sessions to learn more about exciting STEAM topics.
Sign-Up for STEAM Academy Updates ([link removed])
In the meantime, watch any of our
Spring Series Tech Talks on First Star's YouTube Channel ([link removed])
First Star Alumni Program
We’re so excited to announce our Alumni Program has partnered with Mana Money to offer their online course, Mana Money School, to any alumni who have received a First Star Micro-Grant. The aim of Mana Money School is to equip students with expert financial knowledge to build and grow their wealth over the course of their life. Whether our Alumni are starting off financially secure, in debt, or overwhelmed, this course will help them build positive money routines and behaviors to grow wealth and live freely! Check out their Website ([link removed]) , follow them on Instagram ([link removed]) , and read more on their blog! ([link removed])
First Star Co-Founder & President Peter Samuelson to be Honored by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children

First Star's Co-Founder and President, Peter Samuelson, has been selected to receive this year's Outstanding Media Coverage Award at APSAC's Virtual Colloquium ([link removed]) . Peter is being honored for both his work with First Star and his latest film Foster Boy ([link removed]) , which has activated a national movement of reform against corruption in the for-profit foster care system. We are proud to celebrate this special recognition with him!

Our National Partnership with Steezy

We’re thrilled to have a national partnership with the online dance studio Steezy ([link removed]) . Through the wonderful connection of First Star Board Member, Vince Thompson, we were able to give a one year FREE membership to Academy staff and scholars! Thank you, Steezy, for providing the opportunity for our youth to have fun, learn new skills, and dance from the comfort of their homes!

Become a part of the
FIRST STAR NATIONAL TEAM!

We are looking for a Los Angeles-based Director of Development to use their expertise, vision, and knowledge to sustain and generate financial support for First Star!

Apply Today! ([link removed])

June In the News:
National LGBTQ+ Pride Month and Juneteenth

Together In Pride: LGBTQ+ Options For Family Planning And Adoption Have Grown ([link removed]) . As we celebrated Pride Month in June, we’re taking a look at how families are coming together through adoption in the LGBTQ+ community. There have been lots of positive changes in the last few years. In the US, one of the main ways to adopt is through the foster care system. Right now, there are more than 100,000 children in the U.S. available for adoption. “There’s almost no cost, or most often no cost, and the vast majority of the children will receive a monthly subsidy to help defray the cost of raising these kids,” says Dawn Davenport who heads the nonprofit Creatingafamily.org ([link removed])


The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is enhancing training and services to ensure LGBTQI+ youth in care are protected and supported ([link removed]) ; and calling on Illinoisans to provide welcoming, affirming and loving homes for LGBTQI+ youth in care by becoming licensed foster parents. “I am deeply committed to ensuring all the youth in our care, including those who are LGBTQI+, feel safe and loved; and our staff and foster families have the tools they need to provide affirming and informed care,” said DCFS Director Marc D. Smith.

Dr. Terza Lima-Neves, a professor at Johnson C. Smith University, explains the significance of Juneteenth and what it means to millions of Black Americans. ([link removed]) Juneteenth is certainly not a "new" holiday despite its new federal designation. "It needs to be part of the curriculum and institutionalized in the education system so that the past doesn't repeat itself, but also as a sense of pride in who we are as a community," Lima-Neves said. "Particularly for Black Americans, it's very important."





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