After Years of Abuse and Growing Up in Foster Care, Tech-Savvy Student Finally Able to Achieve His Dreams Thanks to UoPeople

To say Joshua Santos had a difficult childhood would be an understatement.

After undergoing 14 years of horrific abuse from his biological parents, Josh was placed in foster care. “Most of the kids in the group home had severe disorders which led them to get very violent at times,” Joshua said. “It was a very hostile environment.”

At 17, Joshua was able to leave the foster care system and enrolled in Northern Arizona University to study computer science. Halfway through his first semester, however, he had to drop out because of a mistake made by the university’s financial aid department. His grant was for residents of Arizona, but Joshua was a resident of California.

This clerical error meant Joshua had to return to the foster care system at 18. Joshua made the most of his situation and built a software development consulting business. “This time allowed me to get back on my feet and build my business,” Joshua said.

While Joshua has been able to find work as a freelancer, he still dreamed of earning a college degree.

“To succeed in today’s constantly changing world, education is a crucial component,” Joshua said. He learned about University of the People by searching online for a tuition-free university.

“What was intriguing to me was UoPeople’s mission to offer an accessible, quality education to any qualified student,” Joshua said. “As I am continuing to study, I am growing and developing my company and helping others whenever I can.”