Awarded $2,000! Angel Kraft is a foster child who plans to attend either Colorado College or Colorado Springs University. He plans to pursue music because of how moving, healing, and powerful it is. He believes music has the power to heal and touch others in a way that words could never do. He is most proud of making it through the foster system successfully and cannot wait to bring his unique music perspective to the world. We wish Angel the best in his amazing future!

Angel’s Message to Foster Children: “You are worthy, you were meant to be, and there is someone out there who is waiting for YOU, specifically.”

Awarded $2,000! Josh is a former foster child and will attend his dream school - Appalachian State University. He plans to study Criminal Justice in his first semester of college because when he was young he used to be a trouble maker, but his parents, friends, and teachers were able to teach him right and wrong to help him turn over a new leaf. Josh hopes to help others turn over new leaves as well. We wish Josh the best in his bright future!

Josh’s Message to Foster Children: “Open out of your shell and try new things.”

Awarded $2,000! Erial is a former foster youth, single mother of a two-year old girl, and a Senior at San Francisco University. With both of her parents dropping out of high school, being the first child in her family to go to university, and facing the struggles of being a black woman in a PWI, Erial hopes to pave a new path for the future of her family. She will be graduating this year with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and hopes to attain her PhD to become a college professor. She aspires to be a college professor because she wants more black and brown students to be taught by someone who looks like them and can relate to them. We wish Erial the best in her future pursuits!

Erial’s Message to Foster Children: “Access therapy because finding peace with your trauma is a long-term commitment and very worth it. The more the better.”

Awarded $2,000! Beau is a former foster youth and a Sophomore at Miracosta College who is currently transferring to a four-year college. He is interested in business and seeks higher education to help better his community. Beau was placed in the foster system at 14 years old, and since then he has suffered from addiction, homelessness, and jail time. He was able to work his way to a better place now with the help of therapy and is now 5 years sober. He has sponsored over 30 young men in AA helping mend their familial relationships, gain employment, and develop goals. Beau now lives in an apartment, has a supportive girlfriend, and even has 3 dogs. We wish Beau all the best in his education and future endeavors!

Beau’s Message to Foster Children: “It gets better.”

Awarded $2,000! Emmett Alston was a foster child for 10 years in Missouri, during which he was placed in 25 different homes and 15 different schools. While Emmett was in the foster system, he was separated from his sister and was prohibited from seeing her. Emmett started to find his way when he joined Boy Scouts, choir, football, and wrestling. He feels that the scared, shy, quiet kid he once was is now a confident, smart, vocal young man who wants to make a difference and help others. Emmett has now reconnected with his biological parents and reconnected with his sister. He hopes to attain his Associates in Criminal Justice and plans to work in law enforcement to eventually become a Highway Patrolman. Emmett’s dream comes from a desire to help other foster children who may be confused or scared of police, especially foster children who have had bad relations with law enforcement in the past. We hope the best for Emmett and cannot wait to see what he will do!

Emmett’s Message to Foster Children: “No matter how long you have been in care or how old you are, there is a family for you!”

Awarded $2,000! Jayla was placed in the foster care system at 7, but before that, she was living with strangers and moving from place to place. She has fought through various forms of abuse and has been attending counseling to help her grow and become even stronger. After the amount of trauma she faced from the ages 5-7 caused her brain to stop developing, Jayla struggled with basic motor skills. However, she worked hard and is now a great student with a 3.7 GPA! She loves science and is most proud of her adoptive mom. Jayla will attend Salve Regina University and will major in Environmental Studies. We wish her the best and cannot wait to see her potential unleash!

Jayla’s Message to Foster Children: “Keep your head up. Things will get better, maybe not now or soon. But I promise things won't stay this hard.“

Awarded $2,000! Emily Yang is a former foster child from California currently attending Cal Poly Humboldt State University. Her proudest and bravest moment was when she garnered the courage to stand up to her abusive parents who were mistreating her and her siblings. She feels grateful today for standing up because even though it frightened her, she was able to help her siblings escape the abuse. Today, she is constantly supporting victims of abuse in any way she can. From her time in foster care, Emily was diagnosed with PTSD but now works with a therapist to support and build herself back up. She is a bright, resilient, young adult returning to college with hopes of building stronger study habits and improving her learning techniques. We wish her the best in her bright future and we cannot wait to see the impact she will make!

Emily’s Message to Foster Children: “It’s a hard process but facing it head on will bring you many rewards. You got this!”

Awarded $2,000! Andwele Zakee is currently a foster child living in California. Though Andwele has moved schools countless times across counties and states throughout his high school years, he continues pursuing his passion for fashion. He says fashion is an avenue in which he can pursue innovative thinking and pure expression even in times when he feels different from his peers. From countless moves, Andwele has described his greatest struggle to be the constantly changing standards between schools. He overcomes this by working hard to be the strong student he knows he is no matter where he studies. Andwele is a passionate, hardworking, charismatic young man who has so much to offer not only to the realm of fashion, but the world as a whole. We wish him the best in his bright future and cannot wait to see the great impact he will make!

Andwele’s Message to Foster Children: “Life will get better, so keep pushing past the speed bumps.”

Awarded $2,000! Melissa is a former foster youth who was placed in 63 different homes during her time in foster care. Over the past few years, Melissa has put in the work with therapy and her studies to begin building her life back up. Today, she is a single mom of a baby boy attending Saint Louis University where she is studying social work and political science. She plans to pursue a JD and MSW upon graduation with dreams of one day soon owning her own law firm that serves survivors not only in court but also in the streets addressing their mental health. We wish her the best in her future and cannot wait to see what incredible impacts she will make on the world!

Melissa’s Message to Foster Children: “Let someone love you, the world is horrible without that place to call home.”

Awarded $2,000! Leila Garcia entered the foster system at 6 years old. One of the greatest obstacles she had to overcome was living with an abusive foster parent who kicked her out of the house every day from morning till night. Despite efforts to report this to her social worker, she was neglected for 8 months. She missed half of sophomore year due to this. Despite these obstacles Leila has dedicated herself to academic excellence. Her proudest moment was graduating first in her class in 8th grade. Further, in high school, she worked extremely hard to finish with a 4.0 and graduate top 15% of her class. Today, Leila is pursuing Business Accounting at Cal Poly Pomona and hopes to attend law school upon graduation. We wish her the best in the future and are so proud of her!

Leila’s Message to Foster Children: “Make sure everything this system has taken from you is paid back in your success. You need to take advantage of EVERYTHING they offer.”

Awarded $2,000! Born into foster care due to his teenage mother's circumstances, Malachi Caballero faced early challenges that shaped his journey. After a brief placement outside of foster care, he returned at just 10 months old, navigating the hard balance between his birth mother and foster family, a struggle that would continue to define his path. Despite the hurdles, Malachi's resilience and determination shone through. Today, we celebrate Malachi's remarkable achievements as he embarks on a new chapter at Liberty University. Pursuing an associate degree in interdisciplinary studies, Malachi's academic pursuits are also matched by his passion for swimming. His dedication to the sport culminated in a victory at last year's district and regional competitions, and 5th place at the state level. As Malachi sets his sights on the future, we wish him the best and are confident he will do amazing things!

Malachi’s Message to Foster Children: “Learn from each experience and let your journey shape you into someone who makes a difference.”

Awarded $1,000! Julianna’s story is one of resilience, strength, and unwavering determination. Growing up in foster care, she faced challenges that shaped her into a compassionate and driven individual. At a young age, she became a mother, balancing the demands of parenthood while pursuing her educational aspirations. These life experiences instilled in Julianna a strong sense of empathy and perseverance. Her passion for understanding human behavior and fostering positive change has led her to pursue a degree in education, psychology, or sociology. Through these fields, Julianna aims to advocate for social justice and contribute to creating an equitable education system. Her academic ambitions are fueled by her desire to help others overcome life’s challenges and build brighter futures. We celebrate Julianna’s incredible achievements and look forward to seeing the impact she will make. With her strength and determination, there’s no doubt she will continue to inspire and succeed in all she does!

Julianna’s Message to Foster Children: “Remember that challenges and hardships are a part of life, but they do not define you.”