Their Best Shot

MSU parents help provide a safety net for students without one

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Their Best Shot

MSU parents help provide a safety net for students without one

Mya McGee counts herself among MSU’s alumni, thanks in part to the community who supported her through Fostering Academics Mentoring Excellence program, or FAME.

FAME is an umbrella of services for students who have grown up in foster care or are otherwise independent, and often lack the safety net a stable family can provide. Nationally, as few as 10 percent of students in this predicament successfully finish college.

Annual donors are a cornerstone of the FAME program’s success. And among the key audiences who contribute are parents of current students.

In fact, last year 2,335 MSU parents gave $556,931 to multiple programs and causes across campus, with FAME being one of the biggest beneficiaries of their generosity.

Today, Mya works as an advocate for clients in a social justice nonprofit organization while actively pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

“Entering college can be scary – being at the enormous Michigan State, even scarier,” she says. “FAME provided me a community and a safe place to be. The support I received still lingers with me today.”

Author: Lois Furry, '89

Annual Giving Annual Report 2022