Grace S. / “Resources can help someone get through a difficult season, but relationships give people somewhere to belong.”
A Future Worth Being Proud Of
There are moments when you look back at the person you used to be and realize just how far you’ve come.
For Grace, she imagines her younger self looking at her life today and feeling proud, not because everything has been easy, but because she kept moving forward, kept challenging herself, and kept trusting God along the way.
“I think my younger self would be incredibly proud of the life I am building and, honestly, just how much I have continued to push myself.”
And there is a lot to be proud of. Grace recently graduated from UC Irvine with her bachelor’s degree in Educational Sciences and is working toward becoming an elementary school teacher. It’s a career that feels deeply connected to who she is and the kind of person she wants to be.
“I absolutely LOVE being around kids, teaching them, encouraging them, and getting to be someone in their corner.”
Over the years, Grace has worked as a nanny, preschool teacher, tutor, and camp counselor, and has served with children at church. Wherever she is, one thing that remains the same is that she wants the people around her to feel encouraged and capable of becoming more. That desire comes from a deeper sense of purpose. One that is rooted in her faith.
“The joy of the Lord truly fills my life, and I am surrounded by people I love so deeply…My faith has become the foundation of who I am. My life isn’t perfect, but God has been so faithful through every season of it.”
Building A Life With Purpose
And that foundation shapes the future she is creating. Grace is in what she describes as a “fun, crazy but exciting season” as she pours into different parts of her future at once. One of the most meaningful is the family she hopes to build.
“I’m engaged to my best friend, we’re preparing for marriage, and I am so excited for the family and home we will build together. More than anything, I want everything I am building to have Christ at the center of it. I want our home to be a place where our family, friends, children, and anyone who walks through our doors feels welcomed, loved, safe, and seen.”
She wants the same thing for her future classroom, saying:
“I do not want to accomplish things simply so I can say that I did them. I want whatever God gives me to be something I can use to serve other people, encourage them, and help them see the gifts and potential within themselves.”
But beneath all of these dreams, Grace believes she is building something even greater, sharing:
“I think the biggest thing I’m building is the woman God is calling me to be.”
She loves learning, taking on new challenges, and pressing into opportunities even when she doesn’t have all the answers. And when she doesn’t know what comes next, she has learned to trust.
“I’m definitely someone who will step up to the plate and say, ‘Okay, let’s figure this out!’ I have learned that sometimes you just have to say yes, trust God, work hard, and figure things out along the way.”
That mindset gives Grace a clear picture of where she hopes to be five years from now. She sees herself as an established elementary school teacher with a classroom that children genuinely love walking into every morning. She wants to see the whole child, not just their grades—to be slow to judge and speak, but fast to help and stand up.
She hopes to be married, building a Christ-centered home and family, growing deeper in her relationship with God, and surrounded by family, friends, and community. She wants to travel, serve others, continue learning, and stay involved in the foster care community. She also hopes to use her education and experiences to advocate for children and young adults.
And while financial stability matters to Grace, her definition of success goes much deeper.
“I also want to become rich. Rich in love and rich in the special moments created with my people.”
Ultimately, she hopes that five years from now, she is still herself—just wiser, stronger, closer to Christ, and continuing to say yes to the opportunities God puts in front of her.
The People Who Helped Her Along The Way
Grace knows she didn’t get to where she is today alone. Her family, friends, mentors, teachers, church community, and organizations that support foster youth have all played a role in helping her become who she is today. Some helped financially or connected her to resources. Others prayed for her, answered her “million questions,” celebrated her accomplishments, or reminded her she could keep going when life felt overwhelming. Her adopted mother was one who had a deep impact on her, saying:
“She has always shown me the type of mama I want to be, and the type of women I can be.”
Through the people who showed up for her, Grace learned what it means to have community. And through her faith, she learned that she could extend that same love to others.
“I think a huge part of who I am today came from people doing that for me first.”
That belief is at the heart of what Grace wishes more young people experienced while aging out of foster care. For her, what young adults need most isn’t simply a list of resources. They need consistency, guidance, and someone who genuinely stays.
“There are SO many things about adulthood that nobody teaches you. Housing, credit, insurance, college, jobs, taxes, budgeting, applying for assistance, understanding paperwork, the list literally never ends. Turning 18 doesn’t magically download all of that information into your brain.”
Grace knows what it means to become independent and figure things out. But she also knows that strength doesn’t mean doing everything alone.
“I have become very independent, and I’m usually the person who will take on a problem and figure out a solution, but I’ve also learned that being strong doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone.”
She wants foster youth to receive practical preparation for adulthood before they are already struggling and to have people they can call when they don’t know what to do next. Because to Grace, relationships matter just as much as resources.
“I think community is EVERYTHING.”
She thinks about all the ordinary moments when people lean on the people they love, like calling a parent when their car makes a strange noise, asking family about insurance, calling a friend after a terrible day, or turning to someone when a big decision needs to be made.
“Former foster youth need and deserve those same connections.”
For Grace, her family, friends, church community, and the people she loves have given her people who pray for her, encourage her, celebrate her, challenge her, and remind her who she is. And she believes that kind of community is something everyone deserves.
“I truly believe God created us for community.”
She has learned that independence and isolation are not the same thing.
“Resources can help someone get through a difficult season, but relationships give people somewhere to belong.”
What Young People Need When They Age Out
That is why Grace hopes the foster care system will place greater emphasis on consistency, preparation, and relationships. She wants young people to learn practical life skills, but she also wants them to have adults who don’t disappear when a program ends or when they reach a certain age.
“I don’t want the goal to simply be helping foster youth survive. I want us to help them thrive.”
Grace understands foster care is part of her story, but it is not the whole story. She hopes other youth with foster care experience believe this for themselves, too.
“PLEASE don’t let foster care become the thing that defines what you believe you’re capable of. Your story matters, but foster care is one chapter of a much bigger story.”
She encourages young people to ask questions, ask for help, apply for everything, find people who encourage them, try new things, fail, get back up, and advocate for themselves. She hopes that the one truth young people hold onto above all else is that their circumstances do not determine their worth or their purpose.
“Knowing Christ has completely changed the way I view my life. There were seasons where I couldn’t understand why certain things were happening, but I now know that my circumstances never determined my worth or my purpose. God can use parts of your story you never would have chosen. You are capable of building an incredible life. Keep going and give yourself time. It is okay to wait.”
A Story #GreaterThan Foster Care
Grace knows that firsthand. After everything she has experienced, she could have allowed her circumstances to close her off. Instead, she explains how it has been different.
“I think younger me would be proud to know that after everything, I did not grow up with a heart that was closed off to people. If anything, God gave me an even bigger heart for them.”
She wants to be someone who gives generously, not for recognition, but so the people around her feel loved, valued, confident, and seen. And maybe that is what makes Grace’s story #GreaterThan. She isn’t simply building a career, a family, or a future. She is building a life rooted in faith, shaped by community, and centered on helping other people see the potential within themselves. She knows what it feels like to have someone in your corner. Now, she wants to be that person for others.
“Sometimes knowing there is one person in your corner can change everything.”
Like Grace, you can use your voice to tell your story and help others understand the foster care experience. Share your story here.
