Palisadian-Founded Ready to Succeed Celebrates Scholar Graduates

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Ready to Succeed—founded and operated by Palisadians Romi Lassally and Pat McCabe—hosted its fourth annual Graduation Celebration on May 16 at Chief Clubhouse, where 74 foster youth and first-generation college were honored.

“Ready to Succeed is a career and personal development nonprofit that empowers foster youth and first-generation college students to graduate, launch successful careers, and reach their full potential,” read a statement. “Only 4% of foster youth will graduate from a four-year university and be positioned for career-track jobs. RTS has developed a program—founded on a Fortune 500 CEO training curriculum—to meet the needs of these underrepresented youth holistically.”

Change Reaction awarded $2,000 to each graduating Ready to Succeed Scholar to “launch the organization’s graduates into life after college.”

The event, emceed by “dedicated RTS volunteer” Jess Cagle (former editor-in-chief of People Magazine and host of The Jess Cagle Podcast), featured keynote speaker Andrew Bridge (best-selling author of “Hope’s Boy” and a former foster youth).

Bridge spent 11 years in foster care in Los Angeles County, according to RTS. He earned a scholarship to Wesleyan University and graduated from Harvard Law School—and is now a “sought-after expert in his field,” having advised senior federal and state officials on reforming the foster care system to “meet the needs of families.”

“I always say that for many of our Scholars, graduation day is the best day of their life and the worst day of their lives,” McCabe said in a statement. “While it’s the day they celebrate this tremendous accomplishment, they also lose their housing, meal plan, social circle and support system all in one day. The transition into a career and the next phase of their lives can be really hard and very scary.”

The RTS program is designed to help Scholars “have more confidence, tangible experience and professional networks” that will “provide a solid foundation for their futures.”