Aya spent 18 years in California's foster care system.

Aya is a youth advocate for probation and foster youth. She is a second year student at Laney College in Oakland where she is majoring in Social Science, with the goal of transferring to University of California, Santa Cruz and obtaining her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Aya has grown up in the foster care system and experienced a number of different placements. She is currently a non-minor dependent in Extended Foster Care (AB12) program. Aya wants to open her own transitional housing program for foster and probation youth, become a foster parent for teenagers, and become a published young adult author. In her role as a Youth Ambassador, Aya hopes she can make a major impact on foster youth and help them further their education. In her free time, Aya enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading and writing.

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