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Ryan

Beaumont, Texas 

My Name is Ryan. I’m currently 21 and a student at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas where I study social work. I was placed into foster care at the age of 12. I was shifted from Houston, to Austin and finally Orange, Texas where I attended Little Cypress- Mauriceville High School until I left foster care at the age of 18.

In foster care I was exposed to the raw truth that we, alumni of the foster care system, have the responsibility to fight for the change we need in foster care. While in care, I saw physical abuse where some peers in the home were encouraged by the foster parents to do harm to other peers, as well as instances where peers were pushed down flights of stairs for no apparent reason. But the worst abuse was when I was told repeatedly that “I could never amount to anything; that none of us would.”

Many of you have heard these very same words and felt the sting of low expectations from those who should have been our greatest supporters. I reacted to those words, as many of us do, as a challenge. At that time I told myself that I could not be defined by what they say about me and that I would be a productive citizen and “beat the odds” they used to define me, to define all of us. So I turned my energy to graduating from high school, from Little Cypress-Mauriceville, in the top percentile of my class. Out of the many clubs and organizations I joined, I always served as the chairman or the manager. In addition, I volunteered at a homeless and women’s shelter all while holding a part time job. I became a very involved citizen in my community.

As I get older, I see that I was able to turn this early negative assessment into a challenge. I do all I can to give a voice to the voiceless in foster care now. Because of my school and community activities and experiences, I’ve been covered in local and multi-state newspapers and television stations. I have been recognized by members of state legislation and policymakers and have received numerous local and statewide awards. I’m using this exposure and the many connections I’ve made in my community to promote raising awareness of our issues that face foster care. With my degree in social work I plan to continue to advocate for the changes that must take place in child welfare. I’ll do my part to facilitate a more positive outlook for my brothers and sisters from government care. My hope is to decrease the numerous statistics that say we are destined to be things other than what we desire. I know that every one of us can overcome our challenges with the proper support and encouragement.

I took my label they had assigned to me, rejected it, and wrote my own label. Only three years ago I aged out of the foster care system and had the world ahead of me. I have since served as a National Advisor which includes sitting over proposed changes to the foster care system, and getting to see the effects of those changes throughout the state and nation. I also sit on numerous boards and serve as a Youth Advocate on a multi state basis. I sit with legislators and talk to them about improving the real issues that face foster youth today such as education, mental health and wellness, and the transitioning into adulthood. I also serve as Texas Officer for Foster Care Alumni of America in which we are ‘Connecting Today and Transforming Tomorrow’. So when I say that you can accomplish anything, I truly believe that.

No matter what labels were placed over you, know that you too can reject it and write your own description. I challenge you to overcome those sticks and stones that were hurled at you. What matters most is how you feel about you. At this point in your life you have the opportunity to prove that you too can make a difference in the lives of youth in and from government care, and to your communities.