Amber Y. / You matter

The biggest challenge I faced in foster care was not feeling a sense of belonging. I was forced into awful group homes. I ended up running away from the group home for over a year. I overcame the lack of belonging when I reached out to my sister, who signed up for kinship care and took me in as her own.

In the foster care system, I would like to see less cases assigned to workers. Some workers I had treated me like a piece of paper—I am sure because they had so many cases. I would also like to see people that truly don't care for foster youth to leave the profession. I can't begin to describe the number of times workers blatantly ignored what I told them and just decided to do whatever was presumably easiest. I would also like to see an end to sexually abusive foster care homes. Foster workers should create a movement with their youth in which they tell ALL YOUTH that no one should EVER touch them.

Foster youth should be informed of what sexual abuse is, and given a comfortable open space to share abuse.

MANY MANY people that I know that grew up in foster care were sexually abused or neglected by foster homes. Some people just sign up to get access to kids and some just sign up for the money.

I started with nothing and no support. Staff in my group home made sure we knew they were just staff and nothing to us. I was exposed to a cold environment in which no one cared for me. I've always had to watch my own back because no one else did. Therefore, now, I feel like I can do anything. I am an adult now with so many more resources and opportunities than I had as a kid, so why wouldn't I be able to do anything? If I was able to make it through hard times while being forced to isolate in a room with some other strange kids, I can certainly make it through hard times now with the small support I've built as an adult.

I am resilient. Nothing can keep me down. When hard times come, well, I've already been through the fire.

I am very proud to have been my high school valedictorian, DESPITE BEING A DROP OUT! I dropped out in the middle of 10th grade. I came back in the middle of 11th grade. I went to continuation high school. I earned straight A's for my entire time with the school. I worked in their kitchen and as a TA. I became the Valedictorian! The district even featured me in a video. (https://youtu.be/P8FIKqHhd0k my part begins at 4:34). In community college I earned 3 AA degrees. I am working on my BA right now.

The advice I would give others is: I know it is hard when you feel unseen and unheard. Keep going. Keep trying. Your voice, your thoughts, your feelings: THEY MATTER!!!!

Education means everything. It has opened so many doors and resources to me. ESPECIALLY as foster youth!!!! There is SO MUCH out there for us. All the support we lacked growing up can be found in college. Get into an EOPS program. Get into guardian scholars. Connect with the resources in college and they will help guide you. I know you don't know what to do or which steps to take, and that is okay!!! Trust me, they will be there for you!!! The biggest factors in my educational success truly have been the supportive foster care programs in my colleges. They guided me, gave me resources, and tons of emotional support. They really care for foster youth. They want us to succeed. Guess what? We can!!