Attendees gather at Dave & Buster’s in Tempe Marketplace for the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation’s annual graduation celebration, which honored more than 8- current and former foster youth last weekend.
(Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation/Submitted)
Last weekend, more than 80 current and former foster youth were celebrated for their recent graduations from high schools, community colleges and universities at the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation (AFFCF) annual graduation event.
Honored with an “Igniting the Spark”-themed lunch and ceremony at Dave & Buster’s at Tempe Marketplace, every graduate in attendance is enrolled in the nonprofit’s Keys to Success or Postsecondary Program, depending on their stage in life, academic or career goals. The event was co-sponsored by iHeartIMPACT, 1st Choice Tax Services and Rush Tax Resolution.
The ceremony also included two awards: the Kim Jenkins Memorial Award presented to Alseny Bah and, for the first time, the Community Champion Award, presented to the Johnjay & Rich #LoveUp Foundation.
“When you are a young person in the system, nobody’s waiting for you on the other side of the stage to say congratulations, yet you had to do so much to get there,” said AFFCF President and Chief Executive Officer Luis De La Cruz. “And so we said, ‘Well, we’re going to do the largest graduation in the state of Arizona focused on celebrating their accomplishments.’ And so for us, that’s what this is about. It’s about celebrating the reality and saying we’re so proud of you, we see you, and what you just did matters.”
AFFCF is a Phoenix-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving children and youth in the foster care system from birth to age 26, funding services to enrich their life experiences and ensure successful transitions into postsecondary education and adulthood.
Through AFFCF, caregivers and foster youth can access help with childhood activities, athletics and music programs, or bikes and scooters; baby and toddler resources such as car seats, strollers and child care startup costs; educational expenses like tutoring, school supplies, GED testing and graduation costs; and other essentials like bus passes, prom expenses, vital documents and apartment or dorm setup.
Keys to Success is the foundation’s transition support program providing specialized career, education and life-skills support, education and training to foster youth ages 16-26. Specifically tailored to each client based on their individual goals and needs, Keys to Success served 644 youth across Maricopa, Pima and Yavapai counties in 2025.
Alseny Bah, recipient of the Kim Jenkins Memorial Award, is a graduate of the Keys to Success program. Bah moved to Arizona from Guinea, West Africa, in 2023, and now lives in Glendale, where he recently graduated from Glendale High School.
Giddy with excitement, Bah said graduation celebrations like the one held by AFFCF don’t happen in West Africa, and said the support they give is one of the most important things a person can experience.
“They helped me a lot,” Bah said. “They helped me find scholarships, they helped me apply to college. They helped me with all of these things.”
Hitting the ground running, Bah has already begun the process of applying for an electrical apprenticeship with the City of Phoenix and hopes to start in September.
“There is no failure, only success,” Bah said. “I cannot put failure into my mind because I cannot afford to fail. I will continue to focus on being successful.”
Nicholas Nevarez, 18, recently graduated from Apollo High School and is a participant in the Keys to Success program. With high school completed, he plans to continue working his current job at Little Caesars and move on to a veterinary technician program at Mesa Community College.
Nevarez first entered the foster care system as a young boy before reuniting with his mom and eventually reentering the system at age 13. He spent the next five years in a group home called Inspire Youth, before aging out into independent living this month. He said that, while he’s gone through some ups and downs, he managed to get through them, and is thankful for the supportive group home he spent many years in.
He also expressed gratitude for the help he received through Keys to Success, which helped him land his current job. With their help, he said he’s confident moving forward in his education and career.
“It just shows how much they helped to get me to this accomplishment, and it’s just very nice that they’re doing this for us, because it shows that they are showing us their support — congratulating us for what we did, and how we managed to get through it,” Nevarez said. “From the beginning, not knowing, to now because they’ve taught us everything.”
The Foundation’s postsecondary scholarship programs serve foster youth ages 18-26, providing financial aid for tuition and fees, as well as critical support to help manage any obstacles they may encounter while pursuing their education.
Brittney Burbulis, a postsecondary program participant, said she felt “a pit of darkness” when her mother died at 16 and she entered the foster care system, and never expected to reach an accomplishment like this while missing the support that comes from family.
Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Burbulis met her AFFCF caseworker in Arizona. With her help, Burbulis was able to pay off her school loans, get furniture for her and her partner’s new residence, and pay for her American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) Certified Professional Coder exam, a gold-standard credential for medical coders working in outpatient and physician-based settings.
“I definitely love how they don’t make us feel alone,” Burbulis said. “They don’t make me do it alone. If anything, they’re like your parents. You don’t have parents, so now you do.”
Recently achieving her medical billing and coding certification at UEI College, Brittney has already landed interviews for multiple positions at Banner Health with AFFCF’s help. While working, she will continue to study and prepare to take the AAPC exam. A particularly long and laborious test, she has a 12-month window to pass the four-hour, 100-question exam in two attempts.
“A lot of people just don’t understand what it’s like having no support — and that’s not their fault, no one should know how that feels like,” Burbulis added. “But if they were to just take that moment in perspective outside their box and understand that you can’t do it all alone, you need help, you need a village. It takes a village to — as they say — raise a child.”
As a former foster youth himself, it’s that kind of resilience — building a future despite the challenging circumstances of the foster care system — that De La Cruz said the event is ultimately meant to honor.
“Foster care is not your identity. It is not your deficit, but what you take from it is what shapes the architecture that informs who you get to become,” said De La Cruz. “Today, we’re here to celebrate your educational milestones as much as we’re here to celebrate your courage and conviction that you showed to forge your identity without a mold.”
This story is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.