Rebecca

“I’m proud to be independent.”

I never really had an advocate until I starting working with Ms. Perez. She helped me achieve my goals — move out of my foster parent’s place and into my own apartment, get a job, and enroll in college classes. I practically raised my siblings by myself so I knew how to take care of my daughter, but I needed help with the other things. She really listened to what I wanted and helped me get where I am.

I’m very focused on my future and my daughter’s future. I’m studying criminal justice. When I was younger I wanted to be a lawyer, but now I’m really interested in forensic science. I definitely want to do work that helps people. No one else I know has accomplished as much as I have at my age. I’m proud to be independent.
 
 
Rebecca, 20, was a participant in our Families Supporting Teens (FaST) program, which is specially designed to address the needs of teens in foster care.