Allison is a strong, independent, resilient young woman. She has dealt head on with many struggles while in foster care and has lived in a wide variety of placements, from kinship care, to long term foster homes, to group homes. Although Allison faced many challenges while in care, she aged out as a strong inspirational young woman, with a very wise, well rounded view on life. She is currently working as a certified nurse’s aide and taking classes to complete her bachelor’s degree to become a physician’s assistant or an APRN, all while living independently.
Allison firmly believes “that no matter how educated, experienced, and well-intentioned a social worker or other professional may be, they can’t provide the same insight and feedback that young people in foster care can.” At times while in care Allison felt like she did not have a say in what went on with her case, she has learned to use her voice and her story to help change the lives of Connecticut’s foster youth today. She has participated in prestigious events such as attending a national conference in Washington, D.C. as well as a policy round table discussion to identify and create solutions to problems foster youth in Connecticut face daily. Because of the foster care system, Allison learned to be a resilient and self-reliant young adult, who uses her voice to advocate for a positive change in the foster care system.
