Kayla’s life and service to the community are driven by a simple but painful reality; as she says it, “I know how it feels to be lost and feel like no one loves you. I want to bring love and consistency to the lives of foster care children.” While working towards a degree in Criminal Justice/Juvenile Services, she has volunteered her time at the Daniel Memorial State Conference in Orlando, Florida around the idea of bringing power to foster youth and she has been an executive member on her youth board here in Kent County, Michigan. She also works at Pine Rest Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids. But as important as what she’s doing now is what she plans to do. Kayla dreams of buying a duplex so that she can mentor an aged-out foster youth under an Independent Living agreement—and from there to become a non-profit organization and have other duplexes in the Grand Rapids area housing successfully aged-out foster care alumni on one side and a newly aged-out youth on the other who can benefit from living next to the older foster youth. It’s a noble goal, inspired by the experience of eight years in foster care: Bringing both caring and consistency into the lives of young people who may not have had enough of each.
