UC Merced Transfer Student Triumphs Over Foster Care Odds

Portia Mira considers herself lucky. Although the UC Merced senior was taken from her parents and spent five years in foster care, she said she and her sister are much better off than most.

"Most foster kids don't graduate from high school," said Mira, a biological sciences major. "We are fortunate we had great foster parents."

Mira, who was born in Modesto and raised in Merced, has worked hard to get ahead despite her past. She transferred to UC Merced from Merced College in August 2011 after some prompting from her husband, Jairo, who works in Dining Services on campus.

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