When people hear the word “foster care,” they might think of broken homes or sad stories, but I think of strength. Not just the strength it takes to get through the system, but the strength it takes to keep going when everything familiar falls apart. One moment that made me realize just how resilient I had become was during a visit with my dad when I was 14. My life before foster care wasn’t as picture-perfect as it looked. I grew up in Arizona in what seemed like a normal family from the outside. We had a nice house and financial stability, but behind closed doors, it was chaos. My parents struggled with addiction, and my dad was abusive. Even as early as third grade, people from the Department of Child Safety would come to my school to ask questions, and I’d try to protect my family, not really knowing what the “right” thing to say was. After my parents divorced, everything crumbled. My mom was left with almost nothing, and we moved constantly. Sometimes, I had to stay with friends just to have a bed to sleep in. Eventually, my siblings and I moved in with my older brother. But when his house was raided, DCS took us away again, and this time, for good. That visit with my dad was supposed to be a normal one. My siblings and I drove three hours just to see him. We were going to Dave & Buster’s, a place that usually meant fun and forgetting about the hard stuff for a few hours. But that day went south fast. Right after hugging us, my dad started asking if we wanted to come live with him again. I knew deep down that he hadn’t changed. He hadn’t done any of the things the court asked of him. No anger management. No drug or alcohol counseling. Nothing. So I told him the truth. I told him I didn’t want to come home with him, not because I didn’t love him, but because I needed to feel safe. I needed him to show that he cared enough to put in the work. He exploded. Right there in the middle of Dave & Buster’s, yelling and threatening to “sign us off” because we didn’t want to live with him. Our caseworker was there. The staff was there. Everyone saw it. But more than anything, we saw it. My siblings and I sat there in shock, crying the whole three-hour drive home. That moment was the most painful, but it also showed me something important. I had grown strong enough to stand up for myself and for my siblings. I didn’t fall apart. I didn’t hide. I spoke up. And even though it hurt, I’m proud of that. That moment was the beginning of me realizing that resilience isn’t about never breaking down. It’s about choosing to get back up and keep going, even when the people who are supposed to protect you don’t. Since then, I’ve faced a lot of challenges, including financial struggles, instability, and moving from place to place. But that experience gave me the courage to keep pushing forward. It’s what drives me to pursue my education. I want to build a future that’s different from the past I came from. A future where I don’t have to survive. I can thrive. And I know I will.

Yes. My name is Steven Belsito, I was born and raised in Arizona. From the outside looking in, it may have seemed like I had everything I could ever ask for. My family had money, and we lived a comfortable lifestyle, at least financially. But unfortunately behind closed doors, life was far from easy. My parents struggled with addiction, and my father was often abusive. For many years, the Department of Child Safety would come to my school to ask questions about my home life. I never knew what I was supposed to say. I was just a kid in 3rd grade trying to protect my family. Everything changed when my parents got divorced. My dad took most of the money with him, and my mom was left trying to support us on her own. We were moving around constantly, and for a while, we didn’t have a place to call home. I stayed with my 2 best friends and their families just to have a bed to sleep in. Eventually, my siblings and I moved in with my older brother. But when his house was raided, DCS stepped in again, and this time they took us from my mom and brother for good. That’s when my aunt and uncle took us in. A few years later, they adopted us. It was a big change to my day to day life routine, but it gave me the stability I needed to begin thinking about my future. Now I have the chance to grow. Starting high school was tough. I had missed most of seventh and eighth grade, so I was way behind. My freshman year was all about catching up and trying to keep my head above water. But I kept pushing, and i kept doing tutoring. By my senior year, I managed to raise my GPA to a 3.3, which is something I’m really proud of. I joined the baseball team during my sophomore year, and that changed a lot for me. The sport gave me something to focus on and helped me come out of my shell and with my social anxiety at the time. My teammates became like family, and the field became my second home. I also got involved in student council which helped me grow as a leader and connect with more people. I’ve also looked for ways to give back where i can. I've spent time volunteering at an animal shelter, making sure the animals were being cared for enough and had a clean environment. I also worked at our student store at Dobson High school to earn community service hours. This experience taught me the basics of responsibility and a hint of what it’s like to have a job. Now I’m getting ready to start college at the University of Arizona, where I plan to major in medicine. My dream is to become a traveling nurse so I can help people in underserved areas and provide care to communities. I want to be the kind of person who shows up when others are in need of someone who brings not just medical help, but comfort and hope during difficult times. I’m more excited than anything for this new chapter in my life, but I know it’s going to come with financial challenges. I’m 18 and don’t have a steady source of income. My adoptive parents have already done so much for me, and I don’t want to place any more stress on them. Receiving this scholarship would mean the world to me and it would allow me to fully focus on my education.