Raven Profit entered the system after her mom was diagnosed with a mental illness. Like many youth who enter the system she had to learn, independently, how to not let her personal issues get in the way of her goals, like finishing school and going to college.
She ended her sophomore year with a gpa of 56 and spent the next two years working hard. “I had to leave my foster home at 4:30 a.m. to get to school on time and made me realize what the product of determination could be. As a sophomore I got involved in gymnastics and competed in the statewide gymnastic individual championships and I was also placed in advance science classes and was selected to participate in several science fairs.” Raven graduated and now attends SUNY Albany.
“I knew that every challenge was conquerable,” says Raven. “Determination, surrounding myself with the right people, establishing a strong support system and realizing the potential I possessed to accomplish anything I put my mind too was key.”
She currently works for the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, a member of the Young Adults Training and Technical Assistant with the National Resource Center for Youth Development and a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. She has also started an online mentoring program for at-risk youth and is a co-founder of the SUNY Albany Chapter Minority Association of Pre-medical Students. She also plans on traveling abroad in Santiago, Chile where to learn medical spanish terminology.
“In my opinion young people who survive the foster care system have demonstrated that they have the ability to overcome extraordinary circumstances. If provided the resources and support to attend the colleges they dream of attending — even a top college if accepted — they will succeed. I am living proof. “
