#Youth with you how to#

They’d pick on me because I didn’t have the latest clothes or shoes.” This changed when he joined the basketball team. “All of my clothes were hand-me-downs, things that other foster kids had worn before, but weren’t really fit for me,” he said. Unfortunately, he experienced something many foster kids can relate to-bullying. Although the transition arose from some unfortunate events, it was something we desperately needed.”Īs Trice settled into life in his new home, he began to go to school, something he hadn’t done before. “Being put in foster care was the best thing that could have happened at the time,” he said. Trice went from living somewhere without gas, hot water, and very little food to a place where his needs were met. At 9-years-old, he and his brother were separated from their mother and placed in the Department of Children and Family Services care. “If you can get a good education, you can break the cycle of poverty and set an example for the next generation to follow.” “I wanted Shoes4Grades to motivate kids to do well academically and to develop a lifelong love of learning,” he said. If they’d like to get a second, all they have to do is bring up their quarterly scores by 5 percent, or half a letter grade. I had an idea in my head for a while before that, but this led me to put it on paper and start it soon after that.” Based out of Pasadena, Trice’s idea is now a functioning nonprofit called Shoes4Grades, which donates shoes to foster youth. “My professor, Donna Gallup, told me if I could come up with a mission statement and a target audience, she'd let me make my own for the class project. He didn’t like any of the available options, so he decided to start his own. As part of his MSW coursework, Trice had to analyze a nonprofit organization. After he graduated in 2019, he went on to earn his Master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree in 2020. I was like a kid in a candy store.”Īs Trice flourished spiritually, he developed a passion for education. I wanted to stand up, put my hands up, and just groove to the worship. Chapel provided the spiritual TLC I needed. “When I got to APU, it was like Christmas day. I felt lost for so long and knew I needed His guidance,” he said. Although he grew up going to church for the first half of his life, his faith had dissipated over the years. He had chosen APU because of the university’s God First commitment. With a clear direction now in mind as a social work major, Trice focused on growing in his faith.

You won’t become rich by being a social worker, but you will gain a lot of knowledge and be able to help many people,” he said. “There are so many avenues to travel with social work. He knew he loved working with kids and thought about becoming a nurse, then a psychologist, before discovering his dream profession. Like many students, Trice wasn’t sure what career path to take. I had to learn to navigate college on my own,” he said.Īs he adjusted to college life, he explored majors.

#Youth with you how to#

“I didn’t have any family to show me how to fill out the FAFSA application or how to read a syllabus. Have a seat.”Īs a first generation student, the struggle to get to that classroom on his first day of college was symbolic of a greater challenge. Trice nodded and Shrier replied, “Well then, you’re in the right spot. When he finally stumbled into the classroom, his professor, Paul Shrier, looked at him with compassion and asked if he was looking for theology. As he tried to find the way to his theology class, his nerves began to grow. Randall Trice got lost on his first day of school at Azusa Pacific University.