Image
Aliyah Zeien is originally from New Orleans, LA and she is 25 years old. She is the oldest of five siblings. She is an alumni of the Louisiana foster care system. She prides herself in being a registered child welfare social worker and youth ambassador with Empower 225/ DCFS state office and Louisiana State Youth Advisory Board advocating to increase opportunities, training and overall well-being for Former Foster youth.
She obtained her bachelor’s degree in 2017 in Social Work from Southeastern Louisiana University. Since then, she has become a powerful legislative advocate working to transform the child welfare system. In 2018, Aliyah completed a legislative internship advocating for youth and testified in front of the Louisiana Senate to assist with the passage of Senate Bill 109 which officially extended foster care in the state of Louisiana. She is the current Vice President for the Louisiana State Youth Advisory Board. She also regularly works with DCFS policy makers to reshape foster care policies, and shares her experiences at conferences such as “Together We Can” with child welfare professionals across the state. Aliyah is a co-author of Senate Bill 151 which is the first Louisiana Foster Care Bill of Rights which was signed into law June 16th, 2021.
Most recently Aliyah took her policy advocacy and speaking efforts a step further by presenting at the 2021 National NCJFCJ and NACC conferences regarding youth’s rights and permanency. Aliyah remains an active member of NACC National youth advisory council- NACCLR. Aliyah is currently enrolled in LSU working to obtain a Master’s Degree in Social Work with an expected completion date of August 2022.