one of them, senior and former foster care child, shawn hudson. path to success has not been easy. >> it was always this thought in my head to just give up. >> reporter: hudson writes about growing up with his biological family before he was put into foster care when he was 11. he writes about a difficult childhood that included an absent father who spent time in prison. but it wasn't until after he was removed from his family for the second time at age 15 that he hit rock bottom. in the course of your life, what has the lowest point been for you? >> i was constantly switched around to different group homes and it was just that feeling of where am i going from here? am i going to keep moving around to different group homes? what is the point of me even trying? >> reporter: and then a life line. social worker alice westary entered his life looking past foster care stigmas and opening hudson's eyes to his future. >> she didn't judge me or look at me differently. she saw me as a regular child. >> reporter: and inspired him to go to college. but it too