Youth and Foster Alumni Stories

Tanisha

Verona, New Jersey

Refusing to be defined by the stereotypes of children aging out of care, Tanisha A. Cunningham took matters into her own hands at an early age. Now, as the CEO of a nonprofit helping other youth aging out of care, she shares with us her story of believing she could rewrite her own destiny.

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Lauretta

Stone Mountain, Georgia

Actress and author Lauretta Ali lived in foster care during the 1950s before being reunited with her birth mother. She shares with us her journey through foster care and the positive difference it can make in a child’s life.

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Sierra

Alaska

Sierra was adopted at age eight with her sister Cassie. Her experience is similar to the thousands of children adopted every year in the U.S. She shares with us her advice to parents and children.

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Deborah

Born heroin-addicted in a federal prison and adopted out of foster care at age four, Deborah Jiang Stein struggled for years to find a sense of identity. Now an author and motivational speaker, she shares with us a poetic recount of her journey from rebellion to re-invention.

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Latasha

Imagine all you had in this world were a pair of purple pants to call your own. That was the case for Latasha C. Watts who grew up in foster care and became homeless at the age 18 when she aged out of the system.

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