Olivia Villarreal

Olivia entered foster care at age nine until she was 15, at when she was adopted by her foster parents. Her foster parents adopted her younger sister at the same time. Olivia's nominator states, "Olivia is my hero! She exemplifies what a role model should be to current and former foster youth." Olivia is a member of the Youth Training Project (YTP) who train social workers about foster youth issues throughout California. Olivia is also an active member with the California Youth Connection (CYC) (link is external) in Kern county and recently attended their annual Day at the Capitol Conference where she and other youth met with local legislators about supporting legislation that affect foster youth. In Kern County Olivia has been a speaker for National Adoption Month on her experiences with older youth adoption. Through her employer, Olivia serves as a youth advocate at a one-stop foster youth resource center where she assists youth with resources regarding housing, education, employment, ILP, and health services. Olivia tirelessly works to help foster youth.