CSUF senior and Guardian Scholar Laron Brown credits his foster mother, Omega Turner, for motivating him to succeed. Photo by Kelly Lacefield

A Foster Mother's Influence

CSUF Guardian Scholar's Life Changed for the Better

May 7, 2009 :: No. 189

At age 6, Laron Brown remembers crying in the back seat of the car on the way to his new foster home.

“It was really hard. I knew I wouldn’t be with my family anymore,” said Brown, now 22 and a Cal State Fullerton senior.

One of 11 children, Brown and seven of his siblings were put in the foster-care system. He and an older brother were taken to live with a foster family in Apple Valley.

Between the ages of 6 and 8, Brown was placed in eight different foster homes and started getting into trouble. He was breaking into homes and stores and stealing, starting fights at school and talking back to teachers.

“I had no direction. My life was getting worse,” said Brown, who now lives in Placentia, close to campus.

When he was 8, his life dramatically changed for the better.

Titan Laron Brown, who trains daily, is tied for fourth place in the high jump in the NCAA Western Region. Photo by Kelly Lacefield

He was placed with Omega Turner. The widowed mother of one daughter took Brown and his 6-year-old sister into her Bloomington home, near San Bernardino.

His new foster mother was firm and straightforward.

“There were many times I thought she was the meanest person. She was hard on me and even harder on my sister,” Brown recalled.

Now as an adult, the track-and-field athlete admitted that her tough love was for his own good. He realizes that she was the first person in his life who really cared enough about him — and motivated him to succeed in life.

“She realized I was lost and confused.”

Growing up in her home, he became close to her. They danced, they laughed, they went to church, and he called her “mom.” Very few friends knew he was a foster child.

“I was ashamed,” he said. “I was afraid to talk about it.”

Turner, who Brown said had “a lot of common sense,” inspired him to get a college education.

“She stressed the importance of getting an education. She preached to me all the time to get good grades; she taught me how to respect others and to be truthful. I used to lie a lot,” said Brown, who spent 10 years with his foster mother. “She also taught me now to think on my own and to make things happen on my own. Then she died.”

It happened three months before his high school graduation, and Brown’s life fell apart again. Omega Turner passed away March 5, 2005, after a long illness. He was at a track-and-field meet when his sister called him with the devastating news. He finished his last race and cried on the bus ride home.

“I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’ I didn’t have a mom anymore,” he said. “But this great loss was my life’s turning point.”

With his foster mom gone, he lost hope. But with prodding from family members Brown finished his studies and graduated from A.B. Miller High School in Fontana. Deep down, he knew that Turner would expect no less of him.

Brown had good grades and with the help of high school counselors, he applied to several universities. He chose Cal State Fullerton and started as a freshman in fall 2005.

“My life was headed in the right direction,” he said.

Several months after his foster mother died, as a pledge to never forget her, he got a tattoo on his upper right arm in Turner’s memory: A cross with her name etched inside, Omega Turner, RIP. He also memorialized her in a video he wrote and produced as part of a Guardian Scholars digital storytelling workshop. The project gave scholars an opportunity to develop their stories using words, images and music.

Later, he got another tattoo on his upper left arm as a reminder of his other passion: a long jumper with a banner that reads “Track Starz.”

“I love her, and I love track and field,” grinned Brown, who’s been competing in the sport since he was 12. “Omega put me in track … and pushed me to be better. I fell in love with track and field because I became good and well-known for my age.”

During his first year on campus, Brown found out about Cal State Fullerton’s Guardian Scholars program, which provides former foster youth a full scholarship, support and resources to earn a college degree. Since the program started in 1998, 50 former foster youth have earned college degrees, with some obtaining or currently working on master’s degrees. Eight scholars will graduate from the program during the university’s 2009 commencement ceremonies May 23-24.

“Guardian Scholars is my backbone; it’s like a family,” said Brown, who was accepted into the program in fall 2006. “The program helps me to stay on top of my game — and makes me feel like I’m part of something bigger.”

Brown is no longer reluctant to tell others about his past and serves as a peer mentor to foster youth at Orangewood Children’s Foundation.

“I’m not ashamed anymore. I’m one of the kids who’s beating the system,” he said.

Without hesitation, Brown gives credit to Turner for helping him turn his life around and overcome the challenges of being in the foster-care system. Today, he has a close relationship with Turner’s daughter, who is a teacher, and fondly calls her his sister.

“For Mother’s Day, I usually call my sister and talk to her. When my foster mom died, it was extremely hard on her because my mom was always there for my sister too,” he said.

Brown, a communications major with a concentration in entertainment studies, is currently in a tie for fourth place in the high jump in the NCAA Western Region. He trains daily, and his high-jump record to date is 7 feet, 6 inches.

His plan is to graduate next year, then pursue a professional career in track and field. Later in life, he hopes to land a job in sports entertainment. Brown also will be the first in his biological family to earn a college degree.

“Omega Turner made a huge impact on my life. She always made me feel like I could do better. She’d tell me, ‘Just do a little extra,’ so I would be better than average.”

Photos:

Available online at www.fullerton.edu/newsphotos

Media Contacts:
Grace Johnson, Guardian Scholars, 657-278-5493 or gjohnson@fullerton.edu
Debra Cano Ramos, Public Affairs, 657-278-4027; 657-278-2414 or dcanoramos@fullerton.edu

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