What was a barrier faced in school?

Vanessa found herself confused and angry as many of us do when going through our adolescence and “weird teenage times”. She lacked self-confidence and had a negative self-image. Being an African American plus sized teen woman, she struggled with being able to look at her reflection in the mirror and love herself. Due in part to her lack of support, Vanessa was not confident enough to ask for the help she so desperately needed. Vanessa’s tough road had made it hard to form a distinct sense of self which made it nearly impossible to engage with others, have a social life, and made her not want to interact with friends.

Thankfully at 11 years old when Vanessa was paired with a CASA and was able to start to feel some of the support she so desperately craved. Although she still did not have full control of her situation and wasn’t always sure what the future would hold, Vanessa finally had one consistent adult in her life who was there for her and regularly checking in with her. As a relationship formed with her CASA, she was there to help Vanessa with all the tools available to her and help prioritize major goals that Vanessa wanted to accomplish. One amazing and life changing event that Vanessa’s CASA was able to facilitate was being accepted into a private school, allowing for a stable and excellent education!!

What allowed for success in school?

Vanessa was a very driven young woman and knew education could be a tool to break out of the situation she was in.

Vanessa’s CASA introduced goal setting and ways to help challenging herself. At 14 years old, Vanessa’s CASA advocated for her to attend a private school, she provided much support and walked Vanessa through the journey.

“This allowed me to find success and break generational cycles. I am the first person to go to college in my family”, Vanessa stated.

In school Vanessa found her place and passion by volunteering at homeless shelters and domestic violence organizations. By choosing advocacy and volunteer leadership roles, Vanessa was able to be a part of a group that was making a difference and pushing a collective story forward. This would also help to bring Vanessa’s past experiences and future dreams together to finally start living the life she deserved. The feeling of power and familiarity has kept her strong and continues to help her move forward.

How did your CASA support you in transitions and how did they help tap into who you want to be vs who they wanted you to be?

Vanessa was thankful to have met and been assigned a CASA before puberty, she said. She mentioned that during puberty, just as most teenagers she became upset and emotional.  Her relationship with her CASA allowed Vanessa to feel supported and to build trust with a consistent adult.

“She understood who I was, what I liked to do, my interests and used that to move forward and challenge me. My CASA taught me how to make change in my life and that resulted in taking on leadership opportunities. She played my favorite music, brought me my favorite granola bar, we even have our own inside jokes. Her priority was to make me feel comfortable, supported, safe and seen. In a way a mother or father would do with their child.”

What does your future look like?

Vanessa’s plans for the future are constantly changing, she is hoping to graduate in the next year or two with a degree in psychology. With an entrepreneurial mindset, she is looking to develop her own nonprofit organization. Vanessa has additional aspirations to be an author and write a book on “Breaking generational cycles of trauma and replace with healing” to help others and apply everything she has been through and learned to share with those who need guidance. Her goal is to help others learn and to turn pain into power and help heal the world.

Reflecting on her experience Vanessa stated,

“I wouldn’t have evolved to the person I am today. The system gave me the toolbox and a mission. The system didn’t save me but helped me save myself. The foster system is broken, but there are many people especially the CASA volunteers who are supportive.”

Vanessa was able to avoid falling victim to her situation. She developed versatility and has been able to connect with anyone and learn from everyone. 

Trauma is hard to work through especially when it occurs during childhood, the foster system doesn’t allow children to have time to adjust to this. Vanessa is thankful for the support she did receive and time to develop herself and overcome her circumstances.

How to improve the lives and future in foster care?

Stability is the most important factor in improving these children’s lives. Keeping siblings together is also extremely important. As a child in the foster care system Vanessa always felt wounded and unstable prior to having a CASA.

There could be more support with children and teaching them about positive body image. “Not understanding who you are and constantly being thrown in many environments is challenging” Vanessa said.

Vanessa would have “loved more support and guidance with things like: how to do my hair, how to eat right, how to go shopping, children in foster care need help to save ourselves and not be at such a disadvantage amongst other children who have supportive families.”

Support during the age of puberty would be a huge help. Puberty is a really hard time for all teenagers, those in the foster system feel they navigate this turbulent time alone. Support from CASA volunteers is an excellent start, being an invaluable resource and providing care and stability. 

One take away:

Vanessa shared, “It takes a village! Anyone who is willing to be a part of that village is part of the story and effort to make the lives of children in foster care that much better”.

Vanessa said, “Don’t listen to respond, listen to understand. Understanding goes a long way in this world and will go a long way in the future of children in foster care.”