2011 Outstanding Young Leaders

Kreeoshia Burks-Moore spent 5 years in Colorado's Foster Care System. Kree was placed in foster care at the age of 13 . She has been in 3 placements including 2 foster homes and 1 kinship placement. Kree has overcome many obstacles in her life. Despite these obstacles Kree is very... Read more

Kim Hastie spent 2 years in Idaho's Foster Care System. Seventeen year old Kim Hastie, who spent two years in Idaho’s foster care system, is as dedicated and determined as they come. Academically Kim is a star (and that’s an understatement). Even though she is taking a rigorous course load... Read more

Katlyn Perugini spent 2 years in California's Foster Care System. Katlyn entered foster care at the age of 16. She was in two placements over this time: a shelter for over a month and a home with 7 teenage girls and two birth children under the age of 12. Katlyn... Read more

Kassandra Dean spent 11 years in Arizona's Foster Care System. Kassandra Dean is currently pursuing a major in Education. On top of school, Kassandra works part time and dedicates much of her time to volunteer work benefiting foster youth in her community. She has helped MyLife, an advocacy group in... Read more

Kady Titus spent 4 years in Alaska's Foster Care System. Kady Titus has clear goals related to her future work in child welfare and is well on the path to achieving them. Kady is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Political Science and Social Work. After getting... Read more

Joshua-John DeLorenzo spent 17 years in Oregon's Foster Care System. Nineteen year old Joshua-John DeLorenzo has spent 17 years in Oregon’s foster care system. After moving through nine different placements, he has settled in with his foster parent, Maryanne DeLorenzo, and in fact, just changed his last name from Slaney... Read more

Jewel Rich spent nearly 4 years in Michigan's Foster Care System. Jewel Rich describes herself as “an entrepreneur; singer, songwriter, spoken word artist, fashion designer, visionary, philosopher, life coach, and an advocate for all those with ‘no voice’.” She is also a youth in foster care who is using her... Read more

Jesse Gaboriau spent 2+ years in Vermont's Foster Care System. Jesse Gaboriau has served as a remarkable advocate for youth in Vermont through his involvement in three different advocacy groups for the state. Jesse has an attitude of empathy for all living things, and is currently undergoing volunteer training at... Read more

Jerry Luevano spent 4 1/2 years in Louisianna's Foster Care System. Raised by his grandparents along with seven siblings, Jerry Luevano was placed in foster care in Louisiana when he was fourteen. After living in group homes, he eventually moved on to Youth Challenge where he realized he could turn... Read more

Jennifer Lance spent 9 years in South Carolina's Foster Care System. Meet Jennifer Lance. Jennifer is a student at South Carolina State University maintaining a 3.0 GPA. After graduation, she hopes to become a certified Speech-Language Pathologist in the public school systems. Throughout High School she received awards for having... Read more