2009 Outstanding Young Leaders

Cindy entered herself into the foster care system when she was a teenager because of the neglectful situation Cindy and her siblings faced. Cindy now attends the University of Nebraska-Omaha as a junior majoring in Social Work. She loves to advocate for other youth. Along with school, Cindy balances her... Read more

Bennie has been in foster care since the age of 5. He is currently a sophomore at Harris-Stowe State University, majoring in Business Administration. Bennie hopes to someday own his own business. He is a member of the State Youth Advisory Board where he has the office of Censor. He... Read more

At the age of 13 Aarieon was placed in a group home. At the age of 15 he was moved into a placement that was closer to his home county, and has been moved once after to another foster home. "I have had the opportunity to meet some exceptional, hard... Read more

“The biggest challenge for me was to learn English and fit into a new society with a different culture. I have been in many countries in Africa and we all seemed to practice the same behavior in a given situation. But when I arrived here it was a different world... Read more

After several mismatches in foster homes throughout high school, Angela was lucky enough to go to a foster family for respite. She found foster parents who were willing to not only take her in for her senior year, but to also support her through her transition into college. "My foster... Read more

At the age of 14 Jillian was placed into a foster home where she stayed until she aged out of the system at age 18. "Because my foster parents were the kind of people they were, I learned how to become a better person by modeling myself after them." Jillian... Read more

Branden first entered the foster care system at the age of 5 while living in Ohio. He was in the system for about 18 months before being placed again with biological family. At the age of nine, Branden went back into the system in the state of Michigan. This time... Read more

Jonnie transitioned out of the foster care system 3 years ago after experiencing numerous group home and residential placements. Her motto while in her placements was “hard work pays off” and she kept that in mind while working towards independence and self-sufficiency. Jonnie remains extremely active in advocating for the... Read more

Dustin has been involved in the system most of his life. He entered care at 18 months and was in 5 placements until the age of 9. Dustin then ran away and ended up in a group home, where he again ran away, ending up in a lockdown mental institution... Read more

Victoria’s foster care experiences began at the age of 13. “When I first got entered the system, I hated it. They took me away from my family, moved me around, and took me away from my friends whom I never wanted to let go of. But as I thought about... Read more