Investing in the Next Generation of Leaders
What is a Headwind Scholar?
Each year, nearly 400,000 children and youth experience foster care in the United States. While many aspire to earn a college degree, former foster youth face significant barriers to higher education, including frequent school disruptions, limited family support, financial instability, housing insecurity, and the lasting effects of trauma. As a result, only a small percentage ultimately complete a bachelor’s degree—far below the national average.
The Headwind Scholars Program at Vanguard University exists to change that trajectory.
Founded in 2014, Headwind Scholars is a comprehensive scholarship and student success initiative designed specifically to equip students with experience in foster care to thrive in college and beyond. In addition to receiving financial assistance, each scholar benefits from individualized support provided by dedicated staff and faculty who walk alongside them academically, personally, spiritually, and professionally throughout their college journey.
Through a three-year capacity-building grant, the program has recently expanded to include a full-time Director of Headwind Scholars, allowing Vanguard to strengthen student services and increase enrollment. For the 2026–2027 academic year, the program will serve 15 scholars, with a strategic goal of supporting 20 students by Fall 2027.
As our initial grant funding concludes in 2027, we are launching the Flight Crew Campaign to build a sustainable community of supporters committed to ensuring that every qualified student who has experienced foster care has the opportunity to earn a college degree and build a future filled with purpose.
What is a Flight Crew?
A Flight Crew is a team of alumni, friends, and community leaders who come together to change the life of a student who has experienced foster care.
Each Flight Crew is led by a Flight Crew Captain, who partners with the Director of Headwind Scholars to recruit a team of 12 committed supporters. Each member pledges to contribute $1,000 annually for four years, creating a dependable source of funding that carries one student from enrollment through graduation.
While a typical Flight Crew consists of 12 members, some crews may be smaller when one or more members choose to make a larger annual commitment.
More than a fundraising model, a Flight Crew represents a community of people investing together in the long-term success of a young person who has overcome extraordinary adversity.
How the Flight Crew Model Works
After federal, state, institutional, and foster youth-specific financial aid is applied, the remaining average cost of tuition, room, and board for a Headwind Scholar is approximately $14,000 per year. As Vanguard continues to maximize specialized financial aid opportunities available to students with foster care experience, we anticipate reducing that annual need to approximately $12,000 per student.
In addition to educational expenses, Headwind Scholars receive wraparound support—including academic coaching, mentoring, personal development, career preparation, and spiritual formation. We anticipate funding these enhanced student support services primarily through foundation and grant partnerships.
Each fully funded Flight Crew provides the financial stability needed to confidently admit one additional Headwind Scholar, knowing that their educational expenses will be covered throughout their four-year college experience.
Our immediate goal is to establish 20 Flight Crews by the end of 2027, when our current capacity-building grant concludes. Achieving this milestone will create a sustainable funding model capable of supporting 20 Headwind Scholars each year while positioning the program for thoughtful, strategic growth in the years ahead.
Together, Flight Crews are not simply funding scholarships—they are creating pathways to graduation, meaningful careers, and lives transformed through the power of education and community.
For more information on Flight Crew, contact Mark Orphan, Headwind Scholars Program Director: (970) 818-6453 or mark.orphan@vanguard.edu