Inspiring Stories
Inspiring Stories
Are YOU a change maker? Young people like you across the country are volunteering, acting as leaders and role models, advocating and making an impact in the lives of others. Read their stories below and tell us about how you are creating change for yourself and others!
By Editorial Board Cohort
By Editorial Board Cohort
Please join us in welcoming our new cohort of Editorial Board members!
By Frank and Apeksha
By Frank and Apeksha
Since accessibility actually ends up benefiting everyone, there's no reason not to implement it.
By Editorial Board Cohort 4
By Editorial Board Cohort 4
Please join us in welcoming our new cohort of Editorial Board members!
By Isaac and Michelle
By Isaac and Michelle
First impressions can be the first step into a completely new opportunity sometimes, regardless of it taking place in a personal or professional setting.
By Amber
By Amber
Paying attention to all your medical bills as well as your monthly insurance statements and explanation of benefits is critical so that you can make sure you aren’t paying more for your healthcare than you are supposed to under your insurance plan.
By Karina
By Karina
Even just for a moment, I took seriously the dreams I once found unrealistic, to now know that anything is possible with persistence, patience and making the right connections.
By Celeste
By Celeste
Cultural competence means understanding the people around you, understanding differences, and acting accordingly.
By Amber
I think it's so important that young people understand how the healthcare system works, and get an idea of what they can do to help the transition to being independent a little bit more easy.
By Anisha
By Anisha
It was my passion for quantum computing, combined with my community involvement, that spurred the idea to start Q-munity.
By Devon
Climate justice can't be achieved without fixing racial injustice.
By Garrett
By Garrett
If we can identify gaps in our own communities, that's the best way to move forward with an actionable path to change and to actually address the issue of housing insecurity.
By Rowan
By Rowan
The things that you think make you not worthy are the things that make you very worthy and will inspire someone as you grow older and they’re your strengths.
By Pragya
By Pragya
Education justice means radically rethinking public education and that takes investing in young people.
By Ifeoma
By Ifeoma
Remember that no one has gotten where they are without help!
By Lyn
My focus… is to help build youth financial capability in order to put youth on the path to financial wellbeing in adulthood.
By Kamri
My advice to practitioners and researchers is come to us, the youth, and let us enlighten you on the issues youth face and what supports we need.
By Hafeezat
By Hafeezat
I realized that the world wasn’t as kind as I thought it was, which forced me to be more active in consuming the news and learning about our systems.
By Alyssa
By Alyssa
"Young people can channel their stress, anxiety, and helplessness into their community. Getting together to solve problems can empower youth and make them feel useful."
By John
By John
One thing I learned from that conversation is that the key to intercepting youth from falling into disconnection is to show them that you actually do care for them and genuinely want them to succeed...
By Anushka
By Anushka
I am hopeful that when my generation becomes the holders of power, we will be able to really make long strides towards a more equitable world.
By Omar
By Omar
"Your ideas and passions are important so don’t feel like you can’t go after them."
By Elizabeth
By Elizabeth
"A big thing I appreciate is using my disease in a beneficial way to help other people. Kind of like putting a positive spin on something that is not always easy."
By Lauren
By Lauren
"I want to become a Public Relations Specialist and represent individuals in the entertainment industry. I eventually want to own my own PR firm."
By Dayja
By Dayja
"I like being able to voice my opinion and call attention to problems I see within my community and the world."
By Michael
By Michael
"I am passionate about helping others and am inspired by stories that make individuals unique. This interest has made me want to pursue social work."
By Akira
By Akira
"I enjoy finding different ways to use my creativity to give back to others."
By Dorcas
By Dorcas
"I always say to explore and don't be afraid to fail. There are so many things in life that aren’t designed to help us figure out who we are. It is so important to find something that makes you excited to get up."
By Mateo
By Mateo
"Notice problems around you and design solutions for them. Develop these solutions with the recipient in mind and use your unique perspective to create the solution unlike anyone else."
By Laticia
By Laticia
It may make you feel uncomfortable sharing, but it is worth it if it can help other youth. You can make big changes in people’s lives if you go into social work.
By Allie
I think that success is... what you demand of yourself and how much you're willing to make it work.
By Dexter
The future is scary, and we all need as much help as we can get to prepare ourselves for it.
By Jonah
By Jonah
So, even though you may not know what kind of job or career field you want to go into, you can take a look at your hobbies. What do you like to do? Think about that for a second, your favorite things to do. Is there a way you can monetize on that hobby?
By Sarah
By Sarah
When I see an individual or a couple making changes, that's really rewarding.
By Carter
By Carter
I'm the kind of a person that has goals, and I like to meet those goals and then move on. So, for me it's not an actual time period but a goal.
By Lexandra
By Lexandra
I was going to be the first in my family to graduate high school and even be the first to go to college.
By Ava
By Ava
The biggest thing is to not be ashamed of whatever decision you decide to make in dealing with ADHD in the best way that you can possible.
By Megan
Yes, there are bad things in the world, but there are so many good things, and there are so many people I still have who are with me. I'm going to take this time with them and cherish it and be thankful.
By Kaci
By Kaci
Everyone out there is different, you never know what that person has gone through and what they're dealing with.
By Yasmine
When we invest in youth with incarcerated parents, it is going to make for a better world and better future generations.
By Ashley
I’m eager to support students, educators, and community members in taking control over the changes they want to see in their communities—and in working together to make them happen.
By Tenaj
You can use your struggles as your motivators to help the world become a better place to live.
By Maxwell
By Maxwell
My goal is to prevent others from being stuck in the grip of addiction.
By Katie
The whole globe can change for the better if enough young people are inspired and energized.
By Zachary
To youth out there who feel like they are trapped or hopeless, you are not alone. Understand that you have a purpose in life.
By Colleen
By Colleen
I knew applying for internships is similar to applying for colleges: you need to apply to more than one, then select from the offers you (hopefully) get.
By Patrick
By Patrick
This quote by Steve Jobs always gives me the inspiration to keep chasing my goals: “If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”
By Elliott
By Elliott
I encourage those foster youth and alumni that are reading this to give internships a chance. Don't tell yourself there's no way to make it work...More things are possible than we can predict, so be willing to risk it.
By Alex
By Alex
Growing up, I saw a lot of disparities in my neighborhood and all over Los Angeles. I noticed from an early age the impact that government programs had on people and their daily lives.
By Ty
Nine months ago, I was a Harvard sophomore who was searching for a summer internship, preferably one in my area of interest, public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was an obvious option for me.
By LaRay
A lot of people might think that you may not have good ideas because you're a teenager, but working hard makes a big difference as it shows [others] you have a voice and you are capable…
By Katie
I understand how substance abuse can change a person and change really who they are… There are always people that you can talk to and there are always people that can help you.
By Greta
By Greta
I owe the self-confidence to even apply for higher education to supportive adults…in my life.
By Elliott
By Elliott
I am able to lead by example so that other people see that this is what foster youth could be and that foster youth are able to make it through the system being resilient.
By Amy
My internship was a life-changing experience. We invited members of Congress to come and listen to what we had to say and hear our recommendations for how to improve foster care through lawmaking. It was a great experience and I learned a lot.
By endever*
I’m nongender, which for me, means that I don't identify as either male or female.
By Nicole
By Nicole
I have always wanted to go back to places that I have been…and just talk to kids and tell them that…if you just use your voice and stay on track, your future will be brighter.
By Sixto
Being part of this youth board turned my anger for the foster care system into passion. I had a story but my peers did, too. It became less about me and more about a group of youth who many people forget about.
By Hayley
I was inspired to create MY LIFE...because there was really a lack of places that youth could share their voice, and make a positive difference in their lives and in the community.
By Janessa
I was inspired to pursue advocacy work because there are so many youth who just need the tools to succeed.
By Razilee
I wanted to participate in a different kind of journey where I could experience and get a better understanding of strengths and hardships of communities first hand.
By Amanda
I’ve learned to feel comfortable with who I am, and to speak up not only for myself, but for others.
By Krista
The word “disability” is not in the athletes' minds at all. We don’t see it as a disability. For myself, I see it as a unique ability.
By Jaylynn
By Jaylynn
My goal is to...be the best role model that I can be for the tribe to show them that staying involved with the community is important for youth because it can have a major impact on their future and health.
By Irene
"Education is power" is my motto. I’m on my way to being as successful as I hoped for and it was all because I had the opportunity to go to school, and the resources to stay in school. I plan to go so much further, too, because I'm tired of being homeless
By Alana
Making a difference keeps me motivated to continue preventing teen pregnancy in my community.
By Kie’Ja
Being an advocate for teen pregnancy prevention is an important part of my life. I have grown as an individual and I have been able to affect many people
By Kayla
When I look back at my past experiences, it amazes me what a youth from South Central [LA] was able to accomplish. I enjoy giving other youth the same feeling
By Eugene
Everyone meets a roadblock in life, but roadblocks are only installed to make you think and work harder than your usual, pushing you to excel well above your means.
By Pablo
Advocating for access to higher education for undocumented and underrepresented youth is my passion.
By Kenny
By Kenny
My college experience has empowered me with knowledge so that I can be a successful artist and a successful student
By Carrie
By Carrie
I believe in the power of youth. I believe in the importance of including young people in decisions that will impact them.
By Leroy
People should remember that foster youth are human beings, not paperwork…Don’t give up on us.
By Jim
Don’t give up on yourself and understand that no one can help you if you’re not willing to help yourself.
By Martand
By Martand
We want to inspire kids from the community to help and let everyone know they can be involved.
By Carly and Sean
By Carly and Sean
We enjoy hearing about their life experiences. It’s a rewarding experience for both us and our older adult partners
By Cortney
There’s nothing special about me; if I can do it, anyone can. I encourage any young person struggling with addiction to not be afraid to ask for help.
By Tristan
Change starts with one person and can grow really fast.
By Noah
If you know your passion and follow your dreams, you will make a positive difference in the world
By Citlali
I hope more youth will take a close look at their communities and see what problems are bothering them and then fix them.
By Abdalla
My advice is to get involved with Year Up or a program like it.
By Coloradas
My ancestors fought for me to have a way of life to live for. So I honor them by holding on to our language and tradition as much as possible.
By Kendall
What I've learned out of life is this: Forgiveness opens up your heart so it can receive more love.
By Alavi
As a new immigrant who could not speak English fluently, I was always quiet and tried to stay invisible.
By Carlos
Don’t give up to the streets. Don’t give up to drugs. Go to school and do good and everything else will come to you. Take advantage of all the opportunities given to you.
By JR
The key is to be positive and do positive things … It’s hard at the beginning, but if you have people trying to help you and show you tools … then it’s worth a try and you won’t regret it.
By Alan
The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention is an epitome of what cities should be implementing to reach the needs of their own cities — since not every city requires the same things.
By Kayanna
By Kayanna
I was very eager to meet and converse with my peers as well as key leadership throughout the country. I think that it is very important to give folks that may not normally interact the opportunity to do so.
By Brianna
...there is hope!...never keep your feelings bottled up...It is not bad to get help when you need it.
By Elijah
If you want to become a leader, get focused, keep pushing – even when it's tough – and stay positive.
By Alexis
No matter what obstacles you face, you can recover, and you can make a difference!
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