6 years in Michigan’s Foster Care System



Minny is a 20-year-old student at Michigan State University who is studying social work.  Minny has been inconsistently in foster care for about six years. She was initially removed from her mom and placed with her dad.  Minny then experienced domestic violence at the hands of drugs and alcohol and abandonment due to mental illness and severe depression. Minny was then placed in several kinship homes and a group home for safety and consistency. Minny’s life changed when she met a mentor who guided her to success. She also feels connected with her best friend’s mom, who treats her as her own. Minny loves volleyball and children. She also likes to collect gemstones and believes they hold special powers. Her ultimate goal is to create her own nonprofit in Michigan to eliminate the education gap and drop out rates of foster youth in college. She plans to get her masters in education and counseling to target mental health at youth level. She has done advocay work with East Lansing district court and juvenile system. She has also done a study abroad working on the child welfare system in Belize. Lastly, she is the community service director for the student activity board for Michigan State University Fostering Academic Mentoring Excellence (FAME). Minny plans to get her Doctorate , focusing her research on mental health of foster youth and preventative care for ages 8 years and up.

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2018 All-Stars
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