2019 Outstanding Young Leaders

Baylee Brown, 19, spent 3 years in Idaho’s Child Welfare system. They experienced two placements, one kinship, and one foster home that ended up in a guardianship. Baylee graduated high school on the honor roll and is now a student at North Idaho College. It is the second semester of... Read more

Confidence, 22, spent 16 years in Hawaii’s Child Welfare system. Confidence moved through eight different homes and experienced guardianship while in foster care. Her foster care experiences lead her to be a junior counselor for Chitungwiza Municipality. She was an advocate for the young people in her community trying to... Read more

Amanda was 15 when she entered the Idaho Child Welfare system. She experienced two placements. The first lasted seven months and was traumatic. Her second placement helped her to find stability, permanence, and healing. Amanda’s high school honor society provided her with many opportunities to Volunteer, including doing highway clean-up,... Read more

Paige entered the Illinois child welfare system when she was in the 6th grade. Page describes her experience in foster care as “crazy”. She “moved every year since 6th grade” with multiple failed attempts at reunification. Giving back and helping youth in trouble is important to Paige. She volunteers at... Read more

Jada entered the Indiana Child Welfare system when she was 16. Jada describes her experience in foster care as “crazy”! She “moved every year since 10th grade” because of multiple failed attempts at reunification. Jada began volunteering in high school to support other youth and bring youth voice to Indiana’s... Read more

Shaileigh spent five years in the Kansas Child Welfare system. She describes her foster care experience as “messy”; bouncing from parents to kinship care, to foster homes. Until her best friend's parents became foster parents for her and that provided her some stability. Shaleigh is an experienced advocate and blogger... Read more

Erika entered the Louisiana Child Welfare system at age 15. Her experience in foster care gave her the opportunity to serve on the Louisiana Youth Advisory Board, inspiring her studies in social work. Erika is a youth minister in her church, an advocate for foster youth and other single moms,... Read more

Tiffani entered the Maine Child Welfare system at age 16. She experienced four placements in two years. After aging out, she entered extended care so she could have access to support and resources. Tiffani volunteers at a homeless shelter, advocates on many levels, including the Youth Leadership Advisory Team (YLAT)... Read more

Catherine Szkop 1.5 years in Michigan's Foster Care System She/Her/Hers Catherine originally hails from Michigan where she attended the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) for her Bachelor in Science with a concentration in Evolutionary Anthropology as a Blavin Scholar. She went on to earn her MA in Jewish Studies at... Read more

Brina spent 1 1/2 years in the Michigan Child Welfare system. Brina experienced 3 placements before reunifying with her family. Although her life had been disrupted she has gone on to be a volunteer at Volunteers of America, the Hot Cider Hustle, and a winter 5k, along with various National... Read more