Foster to Famous

Lacey Baker started skateboarding a few months after she started walking. She was two, briefly living in foster care in Southern California, and couldn't stop staring at the half-pipe set up in the backyard. "I was obsessed with watching my foster brothers skate," she says. "They asked me what I wanted for Easter and immediately my answer was skateboard." From...

Robert W. Taylor was born in Dallas, Texas and placed in an orphanage. During his first 28 days of life he was moved to San Antonio. At this point, he was adopted by a Methodist minister and his wife, who could not have children of their own. During the first few years of his life he lived in small Texas...

Lorenzo Malik Mauldin IV (born October 1, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Jets in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville. " This is what I've been through, Coach. This is what I'm dealing with." -Lorenzo opening...

​Frentorish "Tori" Bowie (born August 27, 1990) is an American track and field athlete, who primarily competes in the long jump , the 100 m and the 200 m . She has a personal record of 6.95 m (22 ft 9 1 ⁄ 2 in) for the long jump, set in 2014. She won the bronze medal at the 2015...

Carlin Isles (born November 21, 1989) is an American rugby union and rugby sevens player. Isles plays for the United States national rugby sevens team . Isles had been predicted as the fastest rugby player in the world. Childhood Isles and his twin sister, Tambra, grew up Massillion, Ohio in foster homes, rarely seeing their mother. Often hungry, he ate...

Simone Arianne Biles (born March 14, 1997) is an American artistic gymnast. Biles is a three-time world all-around champion (2013–15), three-time world floor champion (2013–15), two-time world balance beam champion (2014, 2015), four-time United States national all-around champion (2013–16), and a member of the gold medal-winning American teams at the 2014, the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, and the 2016...