THE RENAISSANCE WOMAN

Helping Torero Renaissance Scholars beat the odds

by Krystn Shrieve

After a period of darkness, a renaissance is a flicker of radiance, a warm glow, a new beginning, a rebirth.

It’s a time of light and enlightenment. It’s a chance for each of us to grow, learn, create, discover and explore. It’s a time to be inspired and to inspire others. It’s a time to be revived and renewed in a place of beauty, a place like USD, long recognized as one of the most beautiful campusess in the nation, a place that restores the body, invigorates the mind and soothes the soul.

That’s what a renaissance means to the University of San Diego.

So in 2010, when Cynthia Avery, EdD, USD’s then assistant vice president for student affairs, considered establishing a program to support Torero students who identify as former foster youth, who were emancipated minors, who were in legal guardianships, or who were homeless, or at the risk of becoming homeless, she thought long and hard about the name. Similar programs at other universities are known as guardian programs.

But at USD, the program Avery created is known as Torero Renaissance Scholars (TRS).

Prior to joining USD, Avery became a court-appointed special advocate, or CASA, and learned about the plight of foster youth in the education system and in higher education.

“I knew of students at USD who were sleeping in the Garden of the Sea. I knew of another student who was renting a U-Haul truck and living there. I knew we had to do something to help these students.”

Inspired by a 16-page essay called “The Star Thrower,” by Loren Eiseley, Avery created a one-to-one model where each student was paired with a single mentor. The mentor would help students navigate academic issues, personal issues, familial issues.

Her first mentors were Pauline Berryman Powell, assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Patti Tarantino, a counselor in USD’s Office of Financial Aid. The program started with three students and has grown every year. This year, 15 students are enrolled in the program.

Since its inception, the TRS program has celebrated major successes. Nationwide, only 10% of foster youth attend college and, of them, only 3% actually graduate. At USD, however, the Torero Renaissance Scholars program has a graduation rate of 86%.

Avery has personally coached several students over the years. Her first student was Raechel Hill, who graduated from USD in 2019 and is currently earning her PhD in marine biodiversity from the University of California, Irvine.

“The TRS program was a great support to me during my undergraduate education,” says Hill, who majored in environmental and ocean sciences and minored in biology. “Dr. Avery helped me get food when I needed it. She had my back during rough times — of which there were plenty — and the program overall let me know I wasn’t alone. Given that USD is perceived as such a wealthy school, being a foster youth really makes you feel like you don’t belong there at times. But TRS fixed that.”

According to the U.S. Children’s Bureau, there are more than 407,000 foster care youth across the nation and that number changes every day. TRS mentors do what they can for each student. And they do it over and over again. One student at a time.

Avery retired from USD in 2023, but her program continues to make a difference.

“I would say the most poignant moment is attending commencement,” she says. “There’s something special about giving each of these students their stole and knowing they beat the odds.”