Alyssa’s Story of Encouraging Other Young Women

Alyssa was placed into foster care at age nine with her five younger siblings and lived in five different homes. Until her mother lost custody, Alyssa would take care of her siblings for days at a time, cooking meals and keeping them out of danger. "Growing up in foster care, I had a lot of internal emotions that I didn’t understand and unanswered questions," she shares. "I was very angry, confused, and sad."

In high school, Alyssa faced the reality of her situation and shifted her goals away from her mother's recovery and toward her own academic and personal success. She earned her way to college with an ISF scholarship, where she now studies Communications and dreams of pursuing her acting career. She's also a social media influencer and offers encouragement and advice to other young women. She also plans to be a resource for new university students before her graduation in 2022.

"Statistically, as a long-term foster youth, I am supposed to be academically unsuccessful, barely graduate, not seek a higher education, and rely solely on services provided by the Department of Human Services. Instead, I will be graduating with a transcript consisting of As and Bs, completed five AP courses, maintained a part-time job since March of 2016, and found time to pursue my passion of acting,” Alyssa shares.