VisitGiveTranslateBond 2026CougarWebApply
Academics
Admissions & Aid
Student Services
Community & Campus
About Collin
CougarWebApply
Academics
Admissions & Aid
Student Services
Community & Campus
About Collin
VisitGiveTranslateBond 2026

Fostering Success at Collin College

Fostering Success is a program that provides additional support for students who were ever in the foster care system (including out of state, and/or adopted from the system at any age).

The mission of Fostering Success at Collin College is to help students formerly affiliated with foster care navigate college, know what support services are available to them, and provide an added layer of community support to meet their educational goals.

Our program goal is to increase enrollment, retention and completion of students formerly affiliated with foster care by 2% each year. Nationally, only 2-3% of students involved with foster care graduate college, and we aim to change that at Collin College. Contact the program directly or view upcoming events to get involved!

Student Support

Student support includes: 

  • Staff committee members in each department to skip lines and receive quick service.
  • Check-in emails and meetings in-person and/or online, which can include registration, celebrations, and resource/benefit information, etc.
  • Connection to resources to help with personal needs that support the student's college completion.

Watch for emails from fosteringsuccess@collin.edu for any reminders, check-ins, upcoming events, benefit information, or other opportunities available to students in this group.

Reach out to staff committee members located in the "Meet Your Team" section for specific department needs, and we will respond within 48 hours (not including weekends or holidays).

Request for Help

If you are a current student at Collin College, can prove you were ever in foster care (including out-of-state or adopted), and need additional assistance, please complete the Additional Support Request form.

If you are in a crisis situation and need assistance from social services, please dial 211 or visit 2-1-1 Texas | Texas Health And Human Services Commission.

If you are in an emergency situation, please dial 911.

Meet Your Fostering Success Team

Foster Care Liaison, Committee Chair and Financial Aid Advisor

Susan Karlsen completed a program at the Utah College of Massage Therapy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Human Resource Management from the University of Phoenix. Susan felt a strong connection to healing as well as higher education, so she worked part time as a massage therapist and full time at the Steiner Education Group in administration, where she was able to open new campuses in Arizona, Colorado and finally in Texas. Susan ultimately decided to resign from her position as Campus Director in February 2013 to become a foster parent. After completing the foster parent licensing and certification process, Susan started working at Collin College in February 2014 in the Financial Aid department, where she is able to help students attain the funding and benefits needed to complete their educational goals. Susan and her husband fostered 16 children over a period of 8 years and ultimately stopped fostering upon the adoption of their son and daughter in April 2021. Susan is on the Empowering Youth Aging out of Foster Care Task Force which is helping to create a mobile application (Empowering Youth) for Texas' foster youth to have all resources in one place. Susan was selected to be the Foster Care Liaison for Collin College in February of 2020 because of her extreme passion for continuing to help this particular group of students, and their supporting community, by sharing knowledge of the available resources, being a guide in their utilization of these resources to achieve their life and educational goals, and to instill fostering success for their future.

 

Contact Information

Email: skarlsen@collin.edu

Phone: 972.881.5750

Office: Plano Campus - G117

Staff Committee Members

Director of Student Financials

Sammi Woodyard
Email: swoodyard@collin.edu
Phone: 972.985.3716
Office: CHEC - Room 324

District College and Career Counselor

Jill Lyons
Email: jlyons@collin.edu
Phone: 972.578.5506
Office: Plano Campus, Room G115

Associate Dean Student and Enrollment Services

John Guillory
Email: jguillory@collin.edu
Phone: 972.377.1521
Office: Frisco Campus, Room F109-I

Disability Advisor, NAD IV

Tanya Schildknecht
Email: tschildknecht@collin.edu
Phone: 972.516.5056
Office: Plano Campus, Room D140

Financial Aid Specialist

Patsy Tomlin
Email: ptomlin@collin.edu
Phone: 972.881.5761
Office: Plano Campus, Room G103

Workforce Recruiting Specialist

Smriti Singh
Email: smritisingh@collin.edu
Phone: 972.553.1178
Office: Technical Campus, Room B-216C

Important Links and Resources

Click on the plus sign (+) next to any of the following titles to see a list of resources in that area

Department of Family & Protective Services – Describes the Foster Care Exemption program, ETV, and tons of resources for individuals who were in the Foster Care system.

 

Family Gateway Resource Packet

 

Medical and Behavioral Health Coverage

 

Public Benefit Program (Food & Housing) & Case Management Assistance & Counseling

 

Parenting & Childcare Resources

 

Employment Assistance

 

Financial Counseling & Tax Preparation

 

Transportation Assistance

            

Student Academic Success Strategies