Research indicates that youth aging out of foster care are less self-sufficient than their peers and are at increased risk of negative life outcomes such as unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, incarceration, and suicide (Berzin et al., 2011; Greeno et al., 2018; Gonzales, 2015; Courtney et al., 2010; Sum et al., 2002; Marrow et al., 2012; Swann & Bosson, 2010; Carlson et al., 1997). While it is common to associate these negative life outcomes experienced by youth in foster care with the trauma that they may have experienced, the most frequent commonality among self-sufficient former foster youth is educational attainment. (Berzin, 2008; Courtney et al., 2001; Greeson & Bowen, 2008; Courtney & Dworsky, 2005).Given the link between educational achievement and life outcomes, the school system is an important public institution for addressing and reducing the negative life outcomes experienced by youth in foster care. However, evidence suggests that despite attempts to better serve these youth, foster youth continue to fare poorly within the education system, the foster care system, and beyond (Riebschleger et al., 2015; Pecora, 2010). Recognizing the link between educational achievement and life outcomes (Berzin, 2008; Jones, 2012), researchers and practitioners have relentlessly sought to foster youth's histories of trauma prior to entering the foster care system, and their negative life outcomes after leaving care. However, little data exists about the experiences of youth in foster care from the youth's perspective (Fox & Berrick, 2007) making programming and interventions minimally effective. Without effective interventions and service delivery youth in foster care are unlikely to achieve the social mobility that education offers and thereby become trapped in a cycle of trauma and poverty. To address this gap in the literature, this study uses resilience and self-efficacy theories as the conceptual framework for examining my experiences in foster care. My experiences are presented as a "neglected tale," that is to say, a narrative that is written in first person, using document analysis, memories, and reflective journaling, to describe trauma-laden experiences and events that would otherwise remain hidden from official documents. In this autobiographical dissertation, I use data from autobiographical memories, child protective services' case plans, news publications, my educational documents, and my previously published memoir to describe my lived experiences in foster care. From a social foundations of education perspective, this critical autobiography connects my lived experiences with learning while increasing the importance and viability of autobiographical research within education and social services. As a former foster youth, educator, and doctoral candidate, my experiences revealed that despite the intersecting risk factors that reduced my chances of finishing college, having access to supportive adults was a key factor for my academic success. This study provides valuable insight for social workers, educators, religious leaders, and other service providers to better understand the factors that contribute to academic resilience and degree attainment among foster youth that ultimately lead to better life outcomes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]