The Mentoring and Oversight for Developing Independence with Foster Youth (MODIFY) program provides ongoing services and resources specifically to meet the education and training needs of eligible former foster youth of West Virginia interested in furthering their education. MODIFY also provides technical assistance to the Department of Human Services, foster care placement facilities, specialized foster care agencies, youth, foster parents and the community on the program and educational benefits available to eligible youth transitioning out of the foster care system.
Are you a professional that would like to request a MODIFY information session for you and your team? Then please fill out our training request form and we would be happy to give a presentation.
MODIFY Client Spotlights
Aubrey Harris
Aubrey Harris
Hello, my name is Aubrey Harris. I graduated May 2026 from Shepherd University with a bachelor’s degree in science. I majored in communication and new media with a concentration in digital filmmaking and I double minored in theater and photography.
MODIFY helped me financially get through college without having to work my butt off trying to afford to be at college. They also helped me keep my grades up and strive to be the best I could be.
My next steps are kind of all over the place, but I am planning on moving somewhere near the beach and travelling with my dog to pursue my career in photography (@aubreyrainphotography) and in films.
Some advice I would give to other foster youth wanting to pursue their education and dreams is to do it. Follow your dreams even if people laugh or make fun of you for it. Get the education you deserve. Life is hard enough being in foster care. Do not let being in foster care stop you from being the best version of yourself. Do not let your past affect your future. You CAN overcome your past, but you have to want it. Prove to everyone who doubted you wrong. I started from the bottom, and I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for the MODIFY program.
Teanna Stubbs
Teanna Stubbs
Hello! My name is Teanna Stubbs, and I am a Marshall University Class of 2026 graduate. I graduated Magna Cum Laude with one of the highest GPAs in the College of Health Professions. I earned my Bachelor of Social Work degree along with a certificate in Child Welfare.
In August of 2023, I had just aged out of foster care a month before starting college and made the decision to sign myself back into foster care. At the time, I had no idea what I was going to do or how I was going to make it through college, but I knew I wanted to build a better future for myself and help others along the way.
In high school, I completed a pathways program that helped students earn college credits toward an education degree. Although I originally thought I wanted to become a teacher, once I stepped onto campus, I realized teaching was not the path I wanted to follow. I considered psychology before ultimately finding my passion in social work.
MODIFY supported me throughout every step of my college journey. As an independent student who had aged out of foster care, I did not have the financial support needed to pay for college on my own. Without MODIFY, I would not have been able to afford my degree. Beyond the financial support, MODIFY also gave me encouragement and motivation. Every success was celebrated. My MODIFY worker always cheered me on, congratulated me on my grades, and reminded me that my hard work mattered.
Right now, I am completing an internship with WVDoHS in CPS, and my goal is to become a foster care and adoption social worker. I want to use my experiences to support children and families going through difficult situations and help make a difference in their lives. I’m beginning my MSW in the Fall 2026 term with the University of Kentucky!
My advice to other foster youth pursuing their education and dreams is to never give up. Your life is only beginning, and what you have been through is only one chapter of your story. You are strong, intelligent, and capable of accomplishing great things. Do not be afraid to take the first step toward your future.
The MODIFY program has the following purposes:
- To ensure that youth who are likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of age are provided education, training, financial support and other needed transitioning services.
- To support and serve these eligible former foster care recipients between 18 and 25 years of age to complement their own efforts toward self- sufficiency and to ensure that program participants recognize and accept their personal responsibility for preparing to make the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
- To provide youth who exit foster care at age 18 or older with Educational and Training Vouchers for the purpose of attending a West Virginia post-secondary educational program. The funds may be used to cover the costs of attending a college, university, or some vocational training, including expenses related to a course of study such as tuition, books, dorm housing, computers, special clothing, transportation assistance and other related educational expenses (limited to up to $5,000 per school year).
MODIFY is being presented with financial assistance as a grant from the West Virginia Department of Human Services.
MODIFY with West Virginia University CED
The Equities House
900 Virginia Street East
Charleston, WV 25301
1-866-720-3605
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