Georgian College

14 GEORGIANVIEW SPRING 2022 PREMIER'S AWARDS Jane Kovarikova dropped out of high school, as 60 per cent of foster kids do. When she thinks back to her youth – a time of turmoil spent moving from foster home to foster home – she knows what advice she'd give her 15-year-old self. "All the really big things take time and the higher you shoot sometimes the longer it'll take," says Jane, a Political Science PhD student at Western University and founder of the Political Action Committee Canada (Child Welfare PAC). "You'll need perseverance, but a lot of foster children have that in spades. So, you can apply that to achieve big goals if you have a purpose." Jane also emphasizes the importance of strong social connections, especially for young people coming from foster care. "Because you typically come from situations where a lot of relationships are broken or toxic ... make really strong friendships that are there for you when there's difficult times," she says. "That network will support you. But you have an important role in that network, too. Lift others up. That's how the whole thing works." One of Jane's first experiences with trusted relationships was as a student in the General Arts and Science program at Georgian (class of 2004). A student advisor helped her navigate the postsecondary system. "I really appreciated his advice," she recalls. "While I was in Georgian, there were other types of support that were really useful for me after having such a tumultuous pathway through academia to begin with." Five years ago, Jane created Child Welfare PAC, a national charity that focuses on systematic changes to support the success of people raised in foster care. "It's mobilized a vulnerable group that is not top of mind for much of society," she explains. "Our work has brought together current and former youth in care, like I was, around an empowering advocacy agenda." Perseverance in spades | Jane created the Child Welfare Political Action Committee Canada, a national charity that focuses on systematic changes to support success for foster kids. Among other goals, the charity has successfully worked with more than 25 universities and colleges to implement free tuition opportunities for current or past foster kids, regardless of age. Georgian was among the first institutions to get on board in Ontario. Georgian nominated Jane for an Ontario Premier's Award in 2021 for her work on this initiative. "I'm definitely grateful to Georgian for being there so early in my academic path," says Jane. "The nomination was so meaningful because it felt like I had come full circle."

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