Anderson K. Haywood

Anderson K. Haywood
20 years old, Florida
2009 Outstanding Young Leader
View Anderson's Profile

While in the foster care system, Anderson was forced to overcome educational and personal obstacles in order to achieve success. While in high school alone Anderson was placed into 5 different homes. This constant change and turmoil not only disrupted his educational status, but created a sense of negativity about his goals and dreams. “The insults and lack of support from my former foster parents and caseworkers decreased my confidence and altered my state of mind, provoking self-defeating habits and even at one time incarceration.” Anderson was able to find support for himself through Educate Tomorrow, which prompted him to create a five year plan, part of included post-secondary education. “My experiences in the foster care system strained my personal relations and academic career; however, they ultimately prompted me to realize that I deserved a better life with higher goals.”

Anderson has now used his past to brighten his future. “I learned not merely to identify the problems in my life, but also how to discover solutions to them. This optimism paved the way for my perseverance to overcome both the personal challenges I have faced in the foster care system and to advocate on behalf of these social issues.” Anderson is currently an AmeriCorps Volunteer in Service to America. He is currently working for Educate Tomorrow as a grant writer and participates in capacity-building initiatives.

Anderson love sports, and frequently plays with friends. He enjoys the “creativity of people and their actions”, and looks for more opportunities to interact with people. Anderson also writes lyrics to melodies. His future plans include, “Finishing my Bachelors degree and branch out from being a statistic of delinquent youths in the U.S.”.

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2009 Outstanding Young Leaders Page