At birth and the beginning years of her life, Alisha was placed into foster care and went back and forth between care and a parent who suffered from alcoholism. She was then placed with another parent, where she experienced abuse. At age 14, Alisha confided in a school counselor and she returned to foster care where she experienced placements in foster homes, treatment homes, and a group home. At age 18, Alisha graduated from the ninth high school she attended. She went on to attend college at Ramapo College, but experienced a setback (including housing instability and homelessness) when she withdrew for a semester to care for her biological mother. With support and services from DCP&P (Division of Child Protection and Permanency), she got back on her feet and is now attending county college, is a New Jersey Foster Care Scholar, and was a recipient of the Paul Hinton Scholarship. She is working towards an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts Social Science and plans to transfer to Rutgers Fall of 2017 to obtain a Bachelor's in Social Work.
