Michelle Brown

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What is the one thing you wish people knew about the foster care system from your perspective?

The foster care system has made many changes since my time in care. My story has been used as a lesson of sorts, which shows how far we have come in the past several years. People are taking interest in what these children need and have needed: normalcy, permanency, a voice in court, and true guidance even after leaving care. These are all things that I was not given while I was in care. Today, my story could be completely different all because a few people decided to step up and voice changes.

 

What was the key takeaway from your experience of Foster Youth Shadow Day last year? 

I will forever be grateful for being chosen to attend Foster Youth Shadow Day as I was able to see that I am not alone and not all youth who were in the system ended up a statistic. Being able to talk to people who have huge influences in the change that needed to take place was absolutely inspiring for me to do. There isn't just one thing I could possibly take away from my time there; it was truly a once in a lifetime experience with a lifetime of memories!