Media
At the 2018 NASPA Conference, Angela Hoffman-Cooper was selected to speak about her experience going From Foster Care to College: Finding a Family on Campus in SA Speaks, a TED Talk style presentation. She shares recommendations for how higher education and student affairs practitioners can improve support for students with experience in foster care and closes with a poem she wrote on the complexities of foster care experience.
College students with experiences in the foster care system are often not central to institutionalized support within student affairs and higher education. In this July 2021 Student Affairs NOW podcast, Dra. Susana Muñoz meets with Angela Hoffman-Cooper, Dr. Royel Johnson, and Kenyon Lee Whitman about ways higher education and student affairs can better support college students with foster care experiences.
In this video, Angela Hoffman-Cooper was a selected entry to the Association for Study of Higher Education Full Participation Video Challenge. Angela discusses barriers in higher education that students with experience in foster care face and opportunities for scholars to engage emancipatory research practices to support full participation in higher education.
In this webinar hosted by The Foster Scholars in June 2020, Angela along with the four other co-founders of The Foster Scholars, share about their research and scholarship, and the purpose of the Foster Scholars Community they developed. They reflect on their lived experience in foster care and offer advice for those seeking to be an ally or partner with students with experience in foster care.
.jpg)
April 2025
"This is a powerful affirmation of our vision to be the institution of opportunity and innovation. The hands-on, career-driven programs equip students with the skills and credentials needed to thrive in the workforce—meeting workforce needs across Montana and beyond and often earn competitive wages that elevate their lives and strengthen our communities."
December 2024
In the Colorado State University Source, Dr. Hoffman-Cooper reflects on her time in the Higher Education Leadership program centering the experiences of people with experience in foster care in higher education and shares the challenges and generational restoration she didn’t foresee. "The faculty's belief in my potential and the scholar they saw me as, even if I didn’t believe I was a scholar yet, made this journey possible."
May 2024
Reflecting on Montana Tech's 2024 ranking by Niche.com, Angela said,"Our commitment to student success is evident in the remarkable feedback we receive from our students. We take pride in providing supportive and deliberately distinct educational experiences that lead to students' strong outcomes and rewarding careers." Angela and the Admissions team led a 17% growth in first-year and transfer enrollment in Fall 2024, yielding the largest incoming class in 15 years.
May 2022
HopeWell shares learnings from their event in which Angela was a featured panelist. "For youth experiencing foster care, the system is designed to keep them safe, not to ensure their educational success. Our panelists are striving to change that. More is required – more strategizing, more allies, more opportunities to ensure youth and young adults are 'at risk for success' (a phrase panelists coined)."
December 2022
In this article in BestColleges, Angela reflects on how family privilege shows up in the college-going experiences of youth with experience in foster care."Each time a SEFC has to self-disclose their background, it reinforces the belief that they are 'abnormal.' Because, if they were normal, the processes would be in place already. If institutions rethink their services, it’ll benefit a lot of students."
December 2020
In this article, in the Colorado State University Source, Angela reflects on meeting Kimberlé Crenshaw, a leading scholar of critical race theory who coined the critical concept of intersectionality – a concept that factors heavily in Hoffman-Cooper’s scholarship supporting students with experience in foster care.
June 2020
In this blog post written for ACPA — College Student Educators International, Angela reflects on the history of Juneteenth and what the day means to her. "For me, Juneteenth is a day to reflect on our nation's history, a day to celebrate Black lives, a day to acknowledge, remember, learn, and take action - just as we have a responsibility to do everyday."
_edited.jpg)
May 2018
In this blog post written for the NASPA Socioeconomic and Class Issues Knowledge Community, Angela describes the impact of asking someone where they're from when considering socioeconomic and class issues. She reflects on where she's from and the complexity of defining her "hometown" due to frequent moves and experiencing foster care.
May 2018
In this blog post written for the NASPA Center for Women, Angela reflects on the importance of community in research. "The truth is I’m a better researcher when I’m in community with others. I'm reminded me of the importance of “we-search”, engaging in research across topic areas with community, for community, and in community to determine how our research might contribute to collective efforts."
January 2018
In this article in The Daily Mining Gazette, Angela reflected on engaging elementary youth in learning about the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “It was clear from the questions they were asking that they were grappling with these issues of ‘Why would someone harm another person?’ and seeing their processing of realizing the troubled history our nation has and seeing them through that learning."
From Foster Care to College Integrative Paper
April 2013
From Foster Care to College: The Role of Student Affairs Practitioners in Addressing the Challenges Foster Youth Face in Accessing Higher Education is Angela's integrative capstone paper and poster presentation for the Educational Leadership and Policy MEd program at the University of Utah. Angela received pass with distinction on the paper, a rare accolade for master's graduates.
.jpg)
June 2011
This article in The Midland Daily News documents advice given by Angela and a panel of students with experience in foster care on supporting youth in the transition out of foster care and to college. “Messages can make a big difference...with many students getting care packages, just sending a simple letter to say “I’m thinking of you” or calling is all it takes and means a lot."
June 2011
In this article in The Daily Mining Gazette, Angela reflected on her experience aging out of foster care and graduating from college at age 20. The article won a 2012 Upper Michigan Good News Award. "I had a foster family tell me I wasn't smart enough to go to Michigan Tech. It influenced my desire to succeed. I was a candidate for the Leading Scholars Award and that was essential for me to afford college."
April 2011
The Michigan Tech President’s Award for Leadership is given to a student who is chosen from an outstanding group of nominees that have provided leadership for their peers. "Angela has participated in various university recruitment events and has assisted with the planning of many campus traditions. She works every day to perfect her student-centered approach to services by following the mission, “students first.”
May 2009
In this post, Angela was announced as a recipient of FosterClub's 2009 Outstanding Young Leader Award. “I had little guidance when it came to the ACT, scholarship applications, FAFSA, completing my taxes, choosing a university, or getting acclimated to college living." She would like to find solutions to these challenges so other youth in the foster care system can have the support they need.
April 2009
The Michigan Tech Rising Star of the Year Award, recognizes a student who has shown great potential for leadership and has attempted to develop themselves personally in everything they do. Angela was nominated by her academic advisor Susie, who saw her potential academically and personally and was selected to receive the award. She also went on to receive the Cognitive and Learning Sciences Departmental Scholar Award two years later.