Announcing the Felicia Giles Faust Memorial Scholarship
Felicia Faust was a Youth Studies scholar at the University of Minnesota when her life was cut tragically short at the age of 22. Felicia was a deeply beloved student, family member and friend. She was known amongst instructors and peers for her honesty, poetic words and fierce advocacy. She was committed to issues of racial justice and to her cats Phoebe and Pesto who she was raising with her longtime boyfriend. She was a great friend and inspiration to many. She challenged herself and others to make space for hard conversations and truths in order to face their own limits in thinking. She made the University and Twin Cities’ community a better place.
Felicia’s academic passions focused on understanding the impact of transracial adoption on the adoptee’s identity and sense of belonging. As a Black child adopted by a white family in a predominantly white community, Felicia experienced confusion about her Blackness and what that meant in a society being rocked by racial tensions. As generations of transracial adoptees are coming to adulthood and gaining their voice, many are saying that their adoptive (mostly white) parents may have loved them but lacked the insight, skill, or knowledge to fully support them in positive racial identity as they grew. Felicia felt this keenly and wanted to support families in being able to do better.
While her journey was cut short, the Felicia Giles Faust Memorial Scholarship will inspire and support undergraduates, especially students in Youth Studies and those who show an interest in, or experience with, transracial adoption. Please join us in paying tribute to Felicia with your donation.