Two months after my fifth birthday, my brother and I were placed in foster care. Midway through kindergarten, I was separated from him and moved to a new foster home. The neglect, abuse and chaos of a broken family I faced during my early years shaped the person I am today. These experiences guided me toward a path of strength, resilience, and purpose. I want to study psychology in pursuit of my goal to become a therapist or counselor. I struggled with anger. I learned at a young age that life is unfair. Adults came in and out of my life and couldn’t be trusted. I didn’t like therapy because it forced me to look at my anger. It took months until I started talking about anything that happened in my past. Through therapy, I was able to recall the traumatic memory of being found by the police in a motel closet, with my mom and her boyfriend having overdosed. My therapist creatively built trust to make therapy tolerable by playing basketball during some sessions. She still made me do the necessary work I tried to avoid. My adopted mom did work with me in therapy. She had to learn to do things differently to avoid being triggered by my anger. I grew close to her because she understood my anger and didn’t respond in the same way other adults did. I never had a male therapist or school counselor. I wonder if I would have opened up sooner with a male therapist. I want other foster youth to have more choice in the gender of their therapist especially during the teenage years. School did not come easy to me. I struggled with ADHD and Dyslexia. My therapeutic experiences have been instrumental in helping me become the young man I am today. Specialilzed eduacation at The Hill Center helped me to learn to advocate for myself and offered strategies to focus and more confident in the classroom. While therapy played a crucial role in my growth and healing, it’s the consistent presence of loving, supportive adults that helps me thrive today. Growing up without a dad was hard. My adopted grandfather taught me how to tie my shoes, took me to Durham Bulls baseball games, cheered me in sports, and encouraged me to be the first in my birth family to go to college. We merged houses with my grandparents in 2019. I give back to my family by being a caretaker to my grandmother, who has Lewy Body Dementia. I show the same love and patience that they share with me with my grandmother. I go shopping, prepare meals, help her use the bathroom, and help pick her up from the floor if she falls. As I assist with her care, I am reminded of the love and support my family has given me. I feel good to be able to help. I want to make a difference in the lives of others. My story is one of transformation and resilience from a scared child in a closet to a young man. I want to open doors for young people to find healing, growth, and purpose no matter the trauma they have faced.

Yes, I was in the foster care system. Two months after my fifth birthday, my brother and I were placed in foster care. Midway through kindergarten, I was separated from him and moved to a new foster home. The neglect, abuse and chaos of a broken family I faced during my early years shaped the person I am today. These experiences guided me toward a path of strength, resilience, and purpose. I want to study psychology in pursuit of my goal to become a therapist or counselor. I struggled with anger. I learned at a young age that life is unfair. Adults came in and out of my life and couldn’t be trusted. I didn’t like therapy because it forced me to look at my anger. It took months until I started talking about anything that happened in my past. Through therapy, I was able to recall the traumatic memory of being found by the police in a motel closet, with my mom and her boyfriend having overdosed. My therapist creatively built trust to make therapy tolerable by playing basketball during some sessions. She still made me do the necessary work I tried to avoid. My adopted mom did work with me in therapy. She had to learn to do things differently to avoid being triggered by my anger. I grew close to her because she understood my anger and didn’t respond in the same way other adults did. I never had a male therapist or school counselor. I wonder if I would have opened up sooner with a male therapist. I want other foster youth to have more choice in the gender of their therapist especially during the teenage years. My therapeutic experiences have been instrumental in helping me become the young man I am today. While therapy played a crucial role in my growth and healing, it’s the consistent presence of loving, supportive adults that helps me thrive today. Growing up without a dad was hard. My adopted grandfather taught me how to tie my shoes, took me to Durham Bulls baseball games, cheered me in sports, and encouraged me to be the first in my birth family to go to college. We merged houses with my grandparents in 2019. I give back to my family by being a caretaker to my grandmother, who has Lewy Body Dementia. I show the same love and patience that they share with me with my grandmother. I go shopping, prepare meals, help her use the bathroom, and help pick her up from the floor if she falls. As I assist with her care, I am reminded of the love and support my family has given me. I feel good to be able to help. I want to make a difference in the lives of others. My story is one of transformation and resilience from a scared child in a closet to a young man. I want to open doors for young people to find healing, growth, and purpose no matter the trauma they have faced.