A Love Letter to Undergrad
It’s time to reflect.
Allow me to reintroduce myself:
Hi! I’m Elina Morrison and I am officially an alum of UNC Asheville (N.C’s only public liberal arts university).
I hold a BA in English Literature and a BA in International Studies (Interdisciplinary Studies) with minors in Human Rights Studies and Economics, completed on a full grant covering all my expenses and tuition.
I am a recipient of the AC Reynolds Award and Thomas D. Reynolds Prize for Campus Service, the Carolyn Briggs Diversity Award, and the Emerging Student Leader Award at UNCA.
Throughout my time at university, I had the honor of serving in leadership roles for multiple student organizations, including:
Co-Director of The Student Environmental Center
President of Amnesty International
Executive of Campus Outreach, Senior Senator, and Legislative Librarian for Student Government
Team Leader for Alternative Service Experience at the Key Center
Event Council for Active Minds
Co-President for She’s the First
Secretary for Political Science Club
Web and Social Media Manager for TEDx UNCA
Along with these accolades, I also did some really cool service projects that go beyond the school of UNCA:
I helped build and served as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the UNC System’s first undergraduate human rights research journal.
I served as a Financial Research Intern with Inclusive Development International and participated in a prestigious research fellowship with PPIA at Princeton University.
I studied abroad in China and Ghana, volunteered as a legal screener for Pisgah Legal Services, did translating work with migrants at the U.S-Mexico border in McAllen Texas, and conducted independent public housing research in Chicago.
And in case you are wondering what’s next for me, this Fall I will be receiving a Master’s in Public Policy on a full ride at the Ford School at UMich. I am a recipient of the Rackam Master’s Award— one of the highest merit awards available.
I am pinching myself. I never knew undergrad was an option for me.
Let alone a graduate school degree. And at the end, I’ll be completely debt free.
My accomplishments span large and wide, but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge how much of an exception this all is to the rule.
And not because I am Black or a woman, but most importantly because I am formerly a foster youth.
According to “FOSTERING SUCCESS IN EDUCATION: NATIONAL FACTSHEET ON THE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE” only 3 – 10.8% of foster care alumni will attain a bachelor’s degree.
I imagine the percentage of those who continue to pursue education is much lower.
Most of the choices I made in college were not to ramp up a resume but were made up out of survival.
Sure, I was excited about living and studying in China, but I also knew that it would give me a place to stay for two months.
Of course, I had a true passion for mental health advocacy, but I also knew that being a part of Active Minds would provide me with easy access to resources that I would need to take care of my own health as I journeyed through college.
Black children make a up a small percentage of the U.S population and yet the largest demographic in Foster Care. We tend to stay in the system much longer, and eventually age out more so than any other demographic.
Those who are in and who age out of the system are more likely to be incarcerated, experience early pregnancy, become at risk for addiction, experience houselessness, drop out of school, and experience episodic or chronic poverty.
Let me repeat again: I’m am an anomaly— and that isn’t a good thing.
If we break down the words “foster”, “care”, “protective”, and “services”…..how do these concepts align to a system that can oftentimes perpetuate more harm for children of color than healing?
One day we will have truthful and honest conversations about:
the carceral logic that exists in the foster care system
the way religious (mainly Christian) institutions that run private adoption agencies can turn away able and willing families simply because of their sexuality, religion (let’s say, for example, you are Jewish), or household makeup
the overdependency on congregate care (behavioral institutions, juvenile detention centers, group homes) rather than focusing on kinship care.
why Black children are overrepresented in the system in the first place (we are not ready for this conversation)
the problematic savior model that still exists in the narrative of why people adopt (especially in adopting children of color).
the way poverty is used as a punishment tool to justify taking children away— no child deserves to grow up poor— but ALL families deserve to be lifted out of poverty TOGETHER.
We all had visceral physical reactions when we witnessed the prior administration rip children away from their parents at the U.S Mexico border.
But we live in a country that does this every day in all 50 states (and we haven’t even touched how this system works on indigenous land).
Being in this system has come with traumas I will probably carry with me forever, but the good that it did do, situated me in the policy world before I even knew what policy was.
I can’t think of another group other than foster care youth that sits so perfectly at the intersection of all other domestic policy issues that impact our livelihood: from transportation to food, from employment to education, from housing to health care, and everything in between.
That I am choosing to pursue a career that is synonymous with service comes as no surprise.
Quite literally, I have had to depend on the kindness and compassion of absolute strangers (who have become friends and family) for most things in my life.
From a bed to sleep on over winter break as dorms close or fulfilling a school supplies “wish list”.
Overall being in this system has provided me with a unique lens as to how I see people, policy, and generosity.
I can attest that foster youth are some of the most resilient and innovative people to grace the earth, and I hope that with my story, more of us (including you) continue to educate yourselves on the foster care system at large. I recommend starting with Dorothy E. Roberts's book Shattered Bonds.
As I embark on this journey I am completely floored by the level of support I have gotten these past weeks, and am so excited for other graduating seniors as we venture out into changing the world.
And of course, I can’t wait to share my journey in getting this MPP on this platform as the time arrives. Until then, I’ll be exploring the hell out of the Mid-West.
How I Spent my Last Few Days in Asheville
Stop Food Waste Day (April 28th) is one of my favorite days on campus— I get to work with Dining in raising awareness around small tangible steps we all can take in reducing waste and being more mindful in the ways we purchase, harvest, and consume food!
Some last-minute celebrations on campus!! The launch of Dignity’s first edition and a garden pancake party at the SEC!! (if you haven’t tried chocolate lavender pancakes you are missing out!!)
The final roam downtown into heavenly food: Chai Pani and Crave Dessert Bar (where I had one too many cocktails and my first and last crème brûlée).
I could not leave without saying goodbye to the flora and fauna of Asheville, and appreciating every flower in bloom. As I reflect on these final days, I can ensure you that I am already missing the one and only N.C! I hope I find my way back home soon.