Courtesy Karen Foster and UVU Marketing

The word “destiny” is often thrown around casually or in movie scripts, but in this case, it truly fits. The story is true. The odds seem impossible, but it was like it was meant to be, a real-life example of destiny in action.

Karen Foster, now the director of Utah Valley University’s English as a Second Language Program, grew up in a poor neighborhood in Santiago, Chile. At the time, she had no realistic prospects of continuing her education — especially not abroad.

In her own words, she and her family lived in a shack. She did not speak English. Higher education felt completely out of reach. “We were poor, so it didn’t cross my mind to come study in the United States,” Foster recalled.

But fate, as it often does, stepped in. When she was 23, Foster attended a friend’s wedding in Chile. There, by chance, she met an American guest — a philanthropist who traveled the world looking for ways to improve peoples’ lives. In that brief encounter, he made her a life-changing offer: If she wanted to study in the United States, he would pay for her education.

Foster later discovered that this man had helped many people financially, both before and after he helped her, purely out of the kindness of his heart. “I always considered him a father,” she said. “He genuinely cared about me. He was the one who encouraged me and gave me the strength to keep going.”

Courtesy Karen Foster and UVU Marketing

She chose to study at UVU, but it took a great deal of faith and courage to leave her home and family behind, especially without knowing any English or having any connections. She immediately enrolled in UVU’s English as a Second Language Program. The homesickness set in right away — she was alone and far from everything familiar, completely outside her culture and comfort zone.

“My parents always taught me that even though I might be afraid, I could still succeed,” she said. “Their teachings were very important in my life. They taught me that going to school was very important, even though they didn’t have the chance to go. I never thought I would be able to pull myself out of poverty.”

Over time, Foster adapted to the culture, learned the language and adjusted to the demanding life of a college student in the United States. She worked a part-time job to support herself while fully dedicating her time to her studies. By joining student clubs, she began building friendships and a sense of community. She knew she had been given the opportunity of a lifetime, and she was determined not to waste it.

Foster’s life was finally gaining momentum. Her parents had been right all along — she could succeed, even when she was afraid. But just as things were coming together, life, as it often does, threw a curve ball.

Her phone rang. It was her mother, calling with devastating news: her father had died suddenly of a heart attack. No warning — he was simply gone. Foster grieved deeply, the kind of sorrow only a daughter truly close to her parents can feel. During this painful time, her American mentor stepped in. “He was a father himself,” Foster said. “He filled a little bit of that emptiness with love and encouragement. He counseled and supported me the way my dad used to.”

Courtesy Karen Foster and UVU Marketing

Through his mentorship, she came to understand that there are good, compassionate people in the world who help others simply because it is the right thing to do. In time, she regained her strength, recommitted to her path and pursued her college degree with renewed determination.

Foster graduated from UVU with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in social work. Along the way, she met the love of her life, Josh Foster, at a church party. They later married and now have two beautiful children and call Provo home.

Today, she serves as the director of UVU’s English as a Second Language Program and is also a licensed, practicing clinical social worker. None of this, she said, would have been possible without the kindness and generosity of a mentor and father figure who stepped in to cover the cost of her college education.

But her journey didn’t end there. Last summer, a producer from Canal 13 — Chile’s second-largest national television network — reached out to Foster with a request to feature her story on their program “Sueño Americano,” which translates to “The American Dream.”

Canal 13 is also the most-visited news outlet online in Chile, making the opportunity both meaningful and far-reaching.

Courtesy Karen Foster and UVU Marketing

Peter Lewis, the show’s host, and his production team traveled to Utah, where they spent a week interviewing Foster along with her family and friends and the mentor who helped change her life. The televised version of her story can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/JvIsJ999Bs8.