My name is Brittany. I am a 22-year-old soon to be graduate of Eastern Michigan University with my Bachelor’s of Social Work Degree. If you saw me walking on campus, you would probably think I look like any other student: walking from one building to the next, coffee (or energy drink) in hand, and a too-heavy backpack slung over my shoulder. Despite my seemingly average appearance, I have not lived an average life. I was in the foster care system from age 13 to age 18, when I “aged out” of the system. I was bounced around between relative and residential placements, and was even re-unified with my biological parents for about a year before being removed from their custody once again.

For the majority of my life, I thought that good things couldn’t happen to me – simply because they hadn’t. I felt I was constantly struggling to adjust and adapt to new, changing environments while simultaneously attempting to balance feelings of love, longing, and anger toward my parents. My parents are not bad people, and not all of my memories of my childhood are negative. The majority of memories I have of my parents, actually, are positive and happy memories – which, in many ways, makes things more difficult. Despite the vast amount of support I received from multiple school personnel, friends, extended family members, and government workers who continually told me it “will get better,” there were multiple times I didn’t believe it would.

I’m here today to say that it got better. It got better for me and it can and will get better for so many other youth in the foster care system that don’t believe it will. Shortly after I turned 18, I came to college and good things started happening. For the first time – ever – I felt like I had freedom and control of my life. I was able to dream limitlessly, act independently, and choose how much I did or did not want to share about my family and my past. In many ways, I assimilated to campus life almost easier than my peers since I was used to living in a new environment. Academics became easier for me without the constant distraction of court dates and foster-care related disruptions. I began to see myself not as a case number or “ward of the court,” but as Brittany – a growing, learning student and young adult with her whole life ahead of her.

This blog will follow me through my senior year as I navigate the ever-present stresses of adulthood, apply to graduate school, and prepare for graduation. I’m exploring what role – if any - I’d like my biological parents to play in my life. Each student has seven life domains that appear as overarching themes throughout their college career. These domains include academics and education, employment, housing, physical and mental health, supportive relationships and community connections, cultural and personal identity formation, and life skills for campus living and career preparation. You will learn about each of those domains as they pertain to my life, and hopefully gain insight into how they are both similar and different for young adults from the foster care system. I am actively attempting to balance my desire to reject my “former foster youth” identity entirely, and the benefits I gain when embracing it. I am actively transforming my frustration with my experiences and the foster care system as a whole into passion to work to transform the system. I am excited for what the future holds, not only for me but also for the child welfare system in the U.S. And, I'm excited to share it with you.

I will be posting a blog entry over Thanksgiving weekend that discusses how challenging holiday time can be for current and former foster youth.