NOTE - The youths names have been changed and images withheld for their privacy and protection because they are still in foster care awaiting permanence. Through their stories, though, their identities and personalities are as vivid as their futures are bright.  I’m in the 9th grade, but when I finish high school I want to go to college then nursing school. In my spare time I like to listen to gospel music, watch tv and read books. My favorite book is The Color Purple. I was in foster care for 3 years until I turned 18 when I transferred to extended foster care. I know why I entered care but I don’t want to say. It’s been an okay experience but I just like being with my family. I don’t like being around other people. My aunt is the adult I could go to for help if I needed it. My name is Jessica and I’m 18 years old. I want braces to close my gap. Braces are going to cause me to smile more.

When I was 16, my mother died of a genetic heart condition. My father died from a diabetic emergency that injured him in a highway incident. Following my mother's death, my younger siblings and I resided with an older sibling and his family until the Summer of 2017. For that summer, my sister and I lived alone in his rented home until the new academic year started. I tried to take care of my sister plus continue with my extracurricular activities like interning with the Big Buddy Program to earn money for college. School started back up, and we continued to live in the rented home. Then one day, my brother came to the house and told us that he could no longer care for us. Instantly, we were homeless. From that time on, we stayed with different friends and relatives sleeping on couches and floors. My goal was to continue taking care of my sister, attending school and participating in my activities so I could get an excellent job to take care of my family. Unfortunately, transportation issues caused us to miss school, and I had no way to contact my teachers and classmates (who were probably worried about us) because I couldn't afford my cell phone. We were sleeping at my nephew's girlfriend's residence at the time when the reality settled in that I was homeless. We called youth shelters, but there was no availability. I was physically overwhelmed and mentally beaten down. One of the most memorable moments of that experience was when the classmate I was living with told others at school that I was homeless. I felt exposed, embarrassed, humiliated. It was then that I spoke to my mentor about my situation; he offered to call DCFS [Department of Children and Family Services] before I had a nervous breakdown. My foster care experience was bittersweet, 80% was good, and 20% was bad. I established bonds with my foster parent such that she allowed me to stay with her during the summer of transitioning to college. Looking back, more short- and long-term goal planning would've been helpful. And I could have also benefitted from behavioral health care and peer-to-peer support. Foster care was ok. I was most concerned about being separated from my sister. The first home was nice but had a lot of kids. The second home we lived in was too far from Central High School. The foster parent had strict curfew rules that interfered with my ability to participate in extracurricular activities, which I needed to appeal to colleges. The third placement was closer to school, and the Central Public School District arranged for a bus to pick me up. I was able to go to prom and participate in my clubs and senior activities. By this time, though, I was separated from my sister. Because of her attitude, she was moved to her fourth placement but thankfully, we still communicated. Now, I am a graduate of Spelman College in Georgia and have received a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University in New York. As a senior, I believed I would go off to college and have a career in psychiatry and settle nicely somewhere back home. However, I did not expect to accomplish all that I have done. It’s a blessing how I overcame many of the odds. I feel inspired and grateful. God definitely has a precious light within me and salvation of me.

I’m Toni and I’m 18 years old. When I am not in school for my GED or working, I like making stacked jeans, reading and singing. On my playlist you will find songs like Lonr’s Make the Most, Lost Cause by Billie Eilish, Freedom by Beyoncé and Bow’s Like You. When I finish school, I’d like to go to college at LSU, Clark Atlanta, FSU, Spelman or Georgia State for psychology or nursing. I want to go to Atlanta because that’s where my friends are and I grew up in Atlanta for 10 years. It’s not like I have too much support here. I’d rather have a start fresh. I do have a friend and her family is supportive, but I feel embarrassed. If I needed help, I would call Leslie Lacy or my case manager. I don’t really talk to my family. I have been the black sheep because my mom died of HIV when I was six years old. She was blind and could not take care of me, so I was raised by my grandmother, but at two years old I went to Atlanta to live with my godmother until I was 12 years old. I had to leave there for reasons I don’t want to talk about. I used to be violent, but I grew up in a way cuz when I was young, I was always frustrated and angry and felt misunderstood. I was angry because no one cared like I needed them to care. People took care of me and bought me things, but they weren’t there for me emotionally and didn’t talk to me much. I’ve been hospitalized 11 times. As I got older, I realized I didn’t have to be angry. Counseling helped. My foster care experience was a roller coaster of emotion. I wouldn’t be here if my family truly cared and if I didn’t make everyone hate me. I would do things like take money to go skating, not wear my uniform, I got into fights which led to suspensions. But this is no reason to give up on a kid. Foster care definitely took a mental toll on me because some of the places I lived took the position “we will do enough to keep you alive.” I had to pay for my own groceries and toiletries because I had a job. I had to take care of myself. I have rules in one place that are different from another place. They change everywhere I go. I feel like it’s a money thing. Group homes care enough, but at the end of the day, it’s business.  Braces will make me feel more confident.

NOTE - The youths names have been changed and images withheld for their privacy and protection because they are still in foster care awaiting permanence. Through their stories, though, their identities and personalities are as vivid as their futures are bright. My name is Catherine. I’m 10 years old and in the third grade. I have wanted braces for sooooo long because they’re cool. (I think I have an overbite.) Braces will be good for me because they will straighten my teeth and fix my bite. I want a nice smile. If I had my pick of favorite meals, for breakfast I would have eggs and pancakes with syrup, for lunch I’d eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and for dinner, sushi! There’s quite a few things I like to do in my free time. I enjoy singing and making up songs, drawing, doing nails and makeup and sometimes I might go outside and play basketball (but I don’t do that a lot). When I finish school, I’d like to be a singer or a singing teacher or an art teacher. A singing teacher is a person who gives you tips about how to sing better and teaches you new songs. An art teacher gives you pointers on how to make your art better. I’m in music theater and play the violin and I love it. In the beginning living with my current foster parents was hard because I was seven years old and had all this stuff on my mind like, would I never see my mom again, how long was this going to last, will I ever go home. The biggest fear I had was that my mom would die from drugs cuz I knew it was a possibility. The fact that she died for that reason, I don’t know what to say. I started getting comfortable living here since the first day. My foster parents were nice and welcoming and meeting my foster dad was fun. On the second or third day I was with them, I sang to him and he cried. Now it’s just like normal. I was never afraid to ask them anything. They were never mean, they treated me equal to their son and they were and are so nice. If I needed help with something, I know I could ask my foster parents. I know that they’ll help me because since 2019 that’s what they’ve always done for me.  Overall, foster care has made my life better because I interacted with better people (like people who are sober). How nice everyone was, I don’t know how to describe it, it was amazing. They were very nice. They let me talk to them whenever I wanted or needed to.

NOTE - The youths names have been changed and images withheld for their privacy and protection because they are still in foster care awaiting permanence. Through their stories, though, their identities and personalities are as vivid as their futures are bright. My name is Michelle. I am 15 years old and I’m in the 9th grade. I like to watch tv (Nickelodeon and jail shows) and play with my little [foster] brother. I like to listen to Young Boy and rap music in my free time. I need braces to close my gap and have a nicer smile. Braces are going to make me smile more. When I finish school, I want to be a nurse because I want to help people. My foster mom and my aunt are nurses. I want to help people in general. If I see a patient and they are diabetic, I will help them.  If I needed help, I could go to my foster parents; I know this because they help me now.

NOTE - The youths names have been changed and images withheld for their privacy and protection because they are still in foster care awaiting permanence. Through their stories, though, their identities and personalities are as vivid as their futures are bright. I’m Brian. I’m 13 years old and in the 6th grade. During my free time I enjoy playing sports. I also like to listen to country music. When I graduate from high school I want to be a welder. I don’t know why I came into foster care, whether it was because of abuse or neglect, but if I had to describe it, I would say it’s been a good experience. What has made foster care a good experience is the family I live with now. I’ve been in 4 foster homes total. But if I needed help, I could go to my Mom and Dad [foster parents]. My life is better because of the people I’m with and going to church. My life just feels better.  I need braces to fix my teeth, to straighten them out. It’s important to get them fixed so my teeth will be healthy.

NOTE - The youths names have been changed and images withheld for their privacy and protection because they are still in foster care awaiting permanence. Through their stories, though, their identities and personalities are as vivid as their futures are bright. My name is Natalie. I’m a 19 year old senior in high school. After graduation, I want to work as a waitress. In my free time I like to ride my bike, watch tv and listen to Kevin Gates. My experience in foster care has been good because I got to go shopping for clothes. Until then I had never been shopping for clothes. Now I’m in extended foster care living with my foster parent who is someone I can rely on for help.  I need braces because of my gap. Braces are going to make me feel better about myself.