Hannah Royal

Hannah Royal 

6 years in Oregon’s foster care system

22 years old 

She/Her/Hers

Hannah entered care at 14, had a voluntary open case after she graduated high school, and aged out of care at 21. While in foster care, Hannah experienced five different placements, which included kinship care with her grandma and aunt,
as well as two foster homes and an independent living placement. 

While Hannah was in college at Oregon State University, she worked with her independent living program worker on a panel to prevent abuse and mistreatment of foster youth. This panel worked to come up with recommendations to the county’s DHS department. Hannah then continued her advocacy work by becoming involved in Oregon Foster Youth Connection (OFYC), where she became involved in advisory panels for the improvement of foster care, conferences that discussed legislative action for the betterment of foster care, and trainings for caseworkers and foster parents. 

Hannah recently graduated with her B.S. from OSU with a major in biology and
minor in chemistry. She is
currently in her Master’s program pursuing an MS in education in the pursuit to become a high school biology teacher. 

Hannah is excited to blend her knowledge gained through her advocacy for foster youth with her passion for learning and teaching others as a teacher. She plans to continue her advocacy work as an advocate in and out of the classroom.