Yes, I was in the foster care system from around 5/6 years old to 12 years old. I was adopted at the age of 12, and I am now 18. This experience taught me a lot about being grateful for what I have and not taking my life for granted. I am grateful to my parents for adopting me, and the foster parents for taking me in over the years. I am also beyond appreciative of my case worker, who worked hard to get my younger sister and me to a home that would appreciate us. She has recently passed away, but I will never forget her and her hard work for us. This situation does not define me as a person, as I was able to move through the hardship and continue to be driven towards my goals. I am passionate about music, and I enjoy singing songs and performing at various in-school or after-school events. I have been in choir since the 4th grade, and I have been involved in my school's musicals since 8th grade. I like to think these events show my dedication to what I am passionate about and put my mind to. My career goal is to become a pediatric therapist, which I am working towards by majoring in Psychology. I am currently committed to Kutztown University, where I will be attending starting next fall. I want to make a positive impact on people, primarily children and teenagers, by helping them manage anxiety, trauma, behavioral challenges, etc. My overall goal for my career is to help young people feel more comfortable with who they are and know there is someone there who cares for them. It is also important to start counseling for trauma and other issues early on, as it can help them cope as they grow older. This is significant to me as I know what it is like to be in new and constantly changing environments that can be difficult for children to live in. Keeping a good mental state is very crucial, and it is just as important as bodily health overall. I want to create a positive impact on others and the world around me overall by creating a mental health resource to rely on. I am very adimant about the belief that what you put into situations and life is what you get out of it. I want people to put their best effort into trying to better themselves so they will get the help they need. This is important to me not only because I have experienced foster care but also because I care for the health and wellbeing of children and people overall. These are my overall goals for my career that I hope to accomplish.

I have always enjoyed babysitting and working with children. Throughout many years, I have babysat for my 3 of my sisters and their 6 children. I often enjoyed spending time with them and watching them, and although they were not always behaving, I loved spending time with them. These opportunities are what have made me most helpful, as I not only watch over them, but I also always try to teach and influence them to grow to be the best they can. My sister, Stephanie, and her two children are where the majority of this experience originates. I also have babysat for my other sisters, Erika and Brooke, on occasion. I try to demonstrate helpfulness through other aspects of my life, including helping the music department with various events and in my theatre career. As the president of the drama club and secretary of Tri-M Music Honors Society at my school, I help to plan and volunteer at events to fundraise for these clubs and the music department overall. I have been living in and going to school in the Hamburg Area School District since 5th grade, when I moved here, so I always try to help my classmates and any staff as much as I can. My part-time job at Dunkin' has also helped me to demonstrate helpfulness and practice working with real people in customer service. I like working more with the customers by taking orders over the headset or at the front counter. I want to help these people in simple ways, such as taking their order or just giving them a simple greeting, which I hope can make their day even better. It is important to me that I put customers and their needs first when I am working. Another priority for me is helping my coworkers I work with on a professional or even personal level if they need me. Whether it is to cover a shift or just simple advice on a personal matter, I want to be there for them if I am available. For the majority of my life, I have been in foster care. I was moved around to various houses during this time, which eventually led me to a family that treated my younger sister and me like two of their own. I stayed with this family, and in time, they adopted me. This proved to be the best opportunity and decision I have made so far in my life. I am still grateful for my time in foster care, because without these experiences and setbacks, I would not be the person I am today. This situation has made me an inquisitive person because I have always wondered what “regular” life looks like for kids my age. I was accustomed to teaching myself many things as a child by asking questions to adults around me or children at school. Another personality trait this experience gave me is respect, which I developed as a result of having various caretakers or authority figures I had to listen to and respect throughout my time in foster care and my time at school. This open and comfortable environment allowed me to grow as a person and learn more about myself; this also allowed me to discover what I wanted to do with my life. I have always wanted to go into a career or field of work that would allow me to make a difference and help others. Wherever I end up, I hope to make people feel comfortable in themselves and feel the strength and satisfaction of belonging.