Concheast Lynn Koller was born in Corinth, Mississippi. She spent four years in foster care, lived in three different homes until she entered the independent living program her senior year in high school. She is now living independently and has learned a lot about the importance of paying bills, budgeting and finding good transportation. Ms. Koller says that being in the foster system has helped her meet many new people and has made her become more active in the community, but her biggest challenge has been not being placed with her siblings. She is currently a senior at Pahrump Valley High.
Concheast is in the band, plays several sports, and is involved in two clubs and JROTC at school. She is very involved with her church, working in the office part time and participating with the church youth board. She hopes to become a lawyer or work in the nursing field one day. Concheast will this June and would like to start college right away at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Concheast has been President of the local Youth Advisory Council in Pahrump for two years and is also the Secretary for Nevada Life the statewide foster Youth Advisory Board, where she is currently serving her second term. She attends all the foster youth conferences that the state holds, and went to Washington D.C. to represent the State of Nevada for a foster youth conference.
Concheast is involved with the Independent Living Program in Pahrump, and feels a need to fight for the rights of foster youth because of her own experiences. Concheast said, “I have learned so much from this program and truly hope that every foster youth takes this program serious. I have moved around my entire life from foster home to foster home. I stay very involved with youth groups and my high school activites, its important to stay busy, but also it gives me a sense of belonging to something important. Foster youth need to stay engaged and speak out, help others and be that shining light for younger foster youth, that there is hope, and always hold your head up high and be strong.”
