Every Child’s Hope Scholarship Recipient Uses Education to Pay it Forward

“Genuinely, I would not have been able to pursue my master’s degree if not for Every Child’s Hope and the scholarship from the Carroll family,” says Jen*, a 24-year-old graduate student and former Every Child’s Hope’s Steppingstone resident who benefited from ECH’s Eugene Carol Scholarship Fund. “It’s lifted a massive amount of weight and offered freedom to pursue a career in social work, where I’m going to be able to support people the way Steppingstone supported me.”

Jen’s journey with Every Child’s Hope in St. Louis began in 2020, just before her 19th birthday, when she made the difficult decision to leave an unsafe home and enter the Kansas City Steppingstone transitional living program. She arrived carrying her belongings in a trash bag, plus the weight of years of trauma.

She remembers the stark contrast between the day she arrived and the day she left. “I walked in terrified and uncertain about reality, feeling childish and unstable,” she said. “But then, that first night, I felt peace, like I could finally breathe. Three years later, I left with confidence, direction, and purpose.”

At Steppingstone, Jen gained stability through weekly meetings with a case manager who offered consistent support in a way she had never experienced. She received free therapy sessions. She learned emotional strategies such as boundary setting, as well as practical life skills like completing FAFSA forms and grocery shopping on a budget. Perhaps most importantly, Jen was given the space and a safe place to heal.

Eventually, Jen was able to transition into her own apartment, equipped with donated household essentials and continued case management.

Through the scholarship, she was able to earn her bachelor’s degree in social work in 2025 and is now completing her master’s, set to graduate in 2026. Jen will soon begin her career as a therapist—coming full circle to offer others the same steady care and guidance that once changed the course of her own life.

ECH’s Steppingstone program is a transitional living program in St. Louis and Kansas City designed to help youth ages 16-21 go from survival mode to having all the personal tools they need for an empowered, successful life. 

*name changed for privacy