OUR BACK YARD


Antwan Turpeau (MSW ‘10), co-founder of Struggling Youths Equal Successful Adults, an organization that supports youth who are aging out of the foster care system


Guiding former foster youth on their path to successful adulthood


than Antwan Turpeau (MSW ‘10), who was a ward of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for 11 years. And that’s why he, along with two other former foster children, started an organization to support youth who are aging out of foster care. Struggling Youths Equal Successful Adults, or SYESA, provides mentoring, road maps, and moti- vation to help foster youth overcome obstacles and develop life skills that will point them in a positive direction.


Light at the end of the tunnel M


any young people who are emancipated from foster care upon reaching adulthood find themselves suddenly alone and facing an uncertain future. Nobody knows that better


26 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO


A former foster child himself, Turpeau works with youth at the criti- cal junction of leaving the foster care system and entering inde- pendent adulthood. Turpeau credits adult mentors and role mod- els with helping him land on his feet. He and the other co-founders of SYESA were recently honored in the Illinois General Assembly.


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