Washington

Lindsay Briese 6 years in Foster Care 23 years old She/her/hers Lindsay Briese is a second-year law student at Seattle University. She plans to pursue a career in family law with a focus on child custody, and wants to help extend access to legal resources to young people who are... Read more

Sommer-Rose Calsadillas 5 years in Washington’s Foster Care System 19 years old She/Her/Hers Sommer-Rose experienced 1 year in California's foster care system and 5 years in the Washington state foster care system. For three years she was moved to 12 different placements. At the age of 16 years old she... Read more

Miracle Negron, 24, Washington’s Foster Care System Miracle was placed in kinship care at 5, followed by foster care at age 6. She experienced 8 placements, including kinship and adoptive care. She re-entered care at 16 and stayed in extended foster care for a couple of months after her 18th... Read more

Emily Stochel, 20, Washington’s Foster Care System Emily’s time in foster care was not traditional by any means. She spent 9 months in two residential treatment centers out of state, one month at youth shelters, and one month in a foster care group home setting. At 16 she returned home... Read more

Felicia Blankenship, 21, Washington’s foster care system Felicia was placed in the care of family guardians with her two older siblings. She is very much involved in her community, to whom she gives credit to helping her understand her own needs for self-care and others. In addition to caring for... Read more

Breanna Harris 10 years in Washington’s foster care system 18 years old She/Her/Hers Breanna entered foster care at the age of 8 years old. She moved from foster home to foster home up until the age of 16 where she found a home that truly accepted and cared for her... Read more

Recognized as an Outstanding Young Leader by Foster Club in 2019, Courtney has utilized her unique lived experience in Washington State’s foster care to make a positive impact on the system she and her sibling were forced to navigate. She has spent time in employment roles as a Case Manager... Read more

Brittney Lee experienced 17 foster homes in the span of 17 years of her childhood. Brittney’s current aspiration is to utilize her growth and knowledge gained from resilience, community involvement and employment opportunities with youth who have experienced foster care. She consistently involves herself in community conversations on child welfare... Read more

James Sheard was in the foster system in the state of Washington for four years before aging out. While in the system James worked with many organizations including the Mockingbird Society and the Accelerator Y. James has had the opportunity to work with foster families and foster youth to help... Read more

1.5 years in Washington’s Foster Care System Yeshi Vaughan is a 22-year-old from Washington. Her story into foster care begins in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She was 14 years old and had been living in an orphanage for about three years when she was adopted by a family from the United... Read more