2011 Outstanding Young Leaders

Grace Clarke spent 4 years in Pennsylvania's Foster Care System Grace Clarke is an inspiring young woman. She was placed in the foster care system at the age of 16 and became a teen mother at the age of 17. Grace has faced many challenges but with perseverance and determination... Read more

Giovan Bazan spent 8 years in Georgia's Foster Care System Giovan takes his experiences from living in the foster care system and uses them to shape his current work in child welfare by representing the voices of other youth in his state. Giovan has learned about the policies that influenced... Read more

Georgina Rodriguezs spent 12 years in Florida's Foster Care System Georgina Rodriguez is obviously a very self-reflective and determined individual. She is currently attending school and working in child welfare as well as staying involved in advocacy events around her state. On top of taking on the responsibilities of a... Read more

Franklin Burgos spent 13 years in Massachusetts's Foster Care System Franklin entered foster care at the age of nine and spent the next thirteen years of his life in the system. Although he grew up in the foster care system, Franklin graduated high school and went on to attend college,... Read more

Erica Lopez spent her whole life in California's Foster Care System With the support of strong and loving foster parents, Erica Lopez overcame her negative experiences in foster care. Her outlook has changed to one of hope. Through her pain, Erica has become compassionate and genuinely concerned for the well-being... Read more

Eduardo Ballesteros spent 4 years in Utah's Foster Care System It is likely that in the dictionary under the word “ambitious” there is a picture of Eduardo Ballesteros. At twenty-one, Eduardo is already a certified Massage therapist, but is also pursuing his bachelor’s in biomedical engineering and business, with plans... Read more

Donta spent the majority of his life in Missouri’s foster care system, but has grown to be a strong and independent young man. He is currently enrolled in college at Missouri S&T and hopes to pursue a career with an engineering firm after graduation. Donta has been involved in youth... Read more

Concheast Lynn Koller was born in Corinth, Mississippi. She spent four years in foster care, lived in three different homes until she entered the independent living program her senior year in high school. She is now living independently and has learned a lot about the importance of paying bills, budgeting... Read more

To the untrained eye, Cody Mitchell’s life has been dominated by instability and unpredictability—complicating factors in any young person’s life. But if you know Cody, you see something else: Endurance and focus. An ability to lead others even while your own life is being led in a million different directions... Read more

Christina Dumais spent 5 years in Minnesota's Foster Care System Eighteen-year-old Christina Dumais is still in high school, but possess the determination of someone much older. Christina serves meals to seniors three days a week and is a member of the Student Council at her High School. Even though she... Read more