ZiZi grew up with her biological mom and step family. Her home life was uncomfortable, and she had no one to support her.

When she was in high school, she ran away

and the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services became involved. Fortunately, a family friend stepped in and offered to care for ZiZi, so she wouldn’t have to return home or be placed in a foster home with people she didn’t know.

When ZiZi was a senior in high school, her social worker told her about the Youth Villages LifeSet program, and how it supports young people with foster care experience as they navigate their path to adulthood.

ZiZi wanted college to be her future, but she lacked the resources to make it happen on her own.

She knew she could benefit from additional support, and that’s when she met Ashley, a LifeSet specialist.

Immediately, Ashley and ZiZi worked on ACT preparation and resources to prepare for college. Ashley also taught ZiZi about budgeting, and eventually she bought a car.

“ZiZi is frugal; it really registers with her to be mindful of her finances,” Ashley said. “She has grown and matured. She knows what she wants to do.”

ZiZi started at Gulf Coast Community College, where she graduated with an associate degree in just a year. She then attended the University of Southern Mississippi’s nursing school but withdrew after a semester. However, she continued at USM,and began working on a degree in public health.

With Ashley’s help, ZiZi applied to the Youth Villages Scholars initiative — part of the LifeSet program — which supplies additional support for young adults pursuing higher education or vocational training. This initiative offers financial assistance, academic guidance and mentorship to participants as they work toward their degrees.

During her time at USM, ZiZi was not only part of Scholars but also completed multiple internships, including one at a digestive disease clinic and another with a nonprofit serving uninsured individuals in need of medical assistance, for which she earned the Intern of the Year. This summer, ZiZi is resuming her nursing classes.

“In the beginning, I wasn’t able to put my full self into nursing school,” ZiZi said. “But the public health major taught me a lot. I gained a lot of experience, which ultimately led me to want to try nursing again and achieve this goal of mine.”

ZiZi is looking forward to the future, knowing she has people in her corner who are rooting for her, even when life gets tough.

About Youth Villages – Mississippi

In collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Child Services, our services in Mississippi focus on strengthening families to prevent or reduce the need for out-of-home placements (Intercept, MYPAC and Wraparound) and supporting youth who age out of foster care or lack a stable caregiver as they transition to adulthood (LifeSet).

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