From a young age, Bri Frickman Miller knew she wanted to go to college. When she entered foster care as a teenager, education became her lifeline: a point of stability and control in an otherwise destabilized world. 

But when she arrived at Cal Poly, in the fall of 2023, she felt adrift. Without the support systems many of her peers had, she had no idea how she was going to make it through the next four years.

“Going into college, I didn’t know anything that could be offered to me,” said Frickman Miller, a third-year child development major. “I didn’t meet with counselors to help me academically. As far as picking out everything, finding a job and finding a place to keep my car and do everything, I did it all.”

At the beginning of her sophomore year, she found a helping hand in Guardian Scholars.

Tucked into the courtyard of Santa Lucia Hall, Guardian Scholars is a program that aims to support students who have experienced foster care, homelessness or other similar circumstances. 

“This program is whatever our Guardian Scholars need it to be,” said Shayna Citrenbaum, the program coordinator. “Whether you are in need of support around financial wellness or brainstorming about a future career, or talking through how things are going in classes, or just need a quiet place to study or grab a snack, we are here to meet you wherever you are.”

While Frickman Miller had received emails from the program during her first year of college, she had ignored them, fearing that interacting with the group could threaten her newfound sense of independence. 

“Being in foster care, you get a lot of emails pushing different kinds of help at you,” she said. “And I felt like, ‘Leave me alone. I’ve got this. I’m good on my own.’”

But Frickman Miller was moving into an unfurnished apartment and looking for work when an email from the program offering supplies like sheets, bath towels, notebooks and kitchenware prompted a second look. 

She decided to go and pick up some things that she needed, then asked if they were hiring student assistants.

“I think I might have walked out and then walked back in and asked, ‘Are you guys hiring?’” she said, laughing.  “Not only did I need a job, but I felt like this work would apply to what I wanted to do in the future, too. And then I connected with the people here.”

She got the job, then got involved. Now an intern at the center, Frickman Miller says the most rewarding thing for her is being able to connect with fellow students and help people in similar situations. 

“I feel like my calling is to help where I can, and where I’m needed,” she said.

In her role, she’s worked the Guardian Scholars booth at Open House, spoken to youth in foster care who are considering applying to Cal Poly and helped students who come into the center looking for services. 

The experience has helped her understand what she wants to do after graduation. Frickman Miller hopes to pursue a master’s degree in higher education counseling and student affairs while continuing to help high school and college-age students.

“Everything that I went through pushed me to want to be the support person that I didn’t have growing up,” she said. “I love helping students make sense of the world around them, specifically helping them with questions about professors, classes, the financial aspect — I think it’s comforting to give them more answers.”

And the center still provides a place of support for her: Citrenbaum and the lead program coordinator, Lea Scott, are the sounding boards she goes to for everything from deciding on a study abroad program, to advice on running events for fellow Guardian Scholars and figuring out finances. 

“My whole goal is to turn the noise level down for students — even if it’s just a little bit — so they can just be allowed to be students,” Citrenbaum said. “I think everyone deserves that, whether they’re a Guardian Scholar or not.”

Over the last academic year, Citrenbaum said she’s worked on building more infrastructure for the fledgling program — which has only been around for a few years. The program has nearly doubled in size: up to 48 participating students from 29 in the last year. 

“The overall program vision is that every Guardian Scholar has the material resources and the relational resources they need to be successful at Cal Poly,” Citrenbaum said. She added that these resources can look like making sure basic needs are met through providing students with supplies, connecting them with campus partners like Counseling and Psychological Services, communicating relevant laws and information around former foster youth and assisting them with financial questions resources. 

“I want students out there who are eligible for this program to know that there are people at Cal Poly who are rooting for them and who are in their corner. Whether they’re facing academic, financial, housing or familial challenges, we are here to help,” Citrenbaum said. “I am here for them, and there is a whole community of Guardian Scholars who are here for them.” 

Reflecting back on the start of her Cal Poly journey, Frickman Miller said she wants other prospective students in the same position to know that they don’t have to go it alone.  

“A lot of people go into college without support, but there is support for you here,” she said. “This program is purely support and caring whenever you need it.”