WEBVTT 00:07.040 --> 00:09.790 so a little bit about my story is I 00:09.790 --> 00:11.846 entered foster care at two years old 00:11.846 --> 00:14.360 with my siblings . We spent the first 00:14.360 --> 00:16.193 few years growing up together in 00:16.193 --> 00:19.080 different foster homes until eventually 00:19.080 --> 00:22.160 we all were separated personally . I 00:22.160 --> 00:25.280 went through about 32 to 35 foster 00:25.280 --> 00:29.090 homes in that time at 18 I 00:29.090 --> 00:31.820 aged out of foster care and I ended up 00:31.830 --> 00:34.670 being homeless and that is the case . 00:34.680 --> 00:36.902 Unfortunately for a lot of foster youth 00:36.902 --> 00:39.320 who turned 18 , there were programs in 00:39.320 --> 00:41.660 place , but they , they're programs 00:41.660 --> 00:43.910 weren't geared to help me . Their 00:43.910 --> 00:45.966 option for me was to go to the local 00:45.966 --> 00:47.966 homeless shelter and I was like , I 00:47.966 --> 00:50.132 can't do that . You know , after about 00:50.132 --> 00:52.299 three years of that and struggling , I 00:52.299 --> 00:54.466 decided to join the National Guard and 00:54.466 --> 00:57.250 that's how I got on my feet . Sorry , I 00:57.250 --> 01:01.080 got a little emotional . So I walked 01:01.080 --> 01:03.191 into the recruiter's office and I was 01:03.191 --> 01:05.247 like , hey , like I'm 20 years old . 01:05.247 --> 01:07.640 Like I've been homeless for , you know , 01:07.640 --> 01:09.680 on and off for like the past three 01:09.680 --> 01:12.210 years . What kind of job can I do ? 01:12.210 --> 01:15.000 Like what , what do I need to do ? Like 01:15.010 --> 01:18.230 let me let me join , He said , yeah , 01:18.230 --> 01:20.563 he said , are you hungry ? I said , yes , 01:20.563 --> 01:22.674 you brought me some Applebee's and he 01:22.674 --> 01:24.786 was like , how would you like to be a 01:24.786 --> 01:27.008 mechanic ? Like that sounds great . I'm 01:27.008 --> 01:29.230 already and homeless I guess I just get 01:29.230 --> 01:32.900 dirtier . So in the guard , I 01:32.910 --> 01:35.970 started as a helicopter mechanic and 01:35.970 --> 01:38.540 then I was promoted to a crew chief , 01:38.550 --> 01:41.360 which I just fly with the pilots and 01:41.370 --> 01:43.490 make sure that the aircraft is stable 01:43.500 --> 01:46.070 and help them with , with starting up 01:46.080 --> 01:48.110 and landing and flying and aerial 01:48.110 --> 01:51.920 surveillance . So I did 01:51.920 --> 01:54.087 start speaking out about foster care I 01:54.087 --> 01:56.650 guess through my instagram about two 01:56.650 --> 01:58.706 years ago , it took me a really long 01:58.706 --> 02:02.670 time to recognize um , and 02:02.670 --> 02:05.220 pinpoint exactly what I wanted to say 02:05.230 --> 02:07.452 because I don't want , I didn't want to 02:07.452 --> 02:09.674 give foster care a bad name , but I did 02:09.674 --> 02:11.674 want people to be more aware of the 02:11.674 --> 02:13.674 flaws that are in the system and it 02:13.674 --> 02:15.619 kind of evolved into foundations , 02:15.619 --> 02:17.841 reaching out to me asking me if I would 02:17.841 --> 02:20.063 partner with them to do fundraisers . I 02:20.063 --> 02:22.174 have a lot of teenagers who are aging 02:22.174 --> 02:21.560 out of foster care currently reach out 02:21.560 --> 02:24.100 to me and then I also have foster 02:24.100 --> 02:27.050 parents reach out to me and ask me what 02:27.050 --> 02:29.700 the best approach is for being a good 02:29.700 --> 02:32.070 foster parent . So the difficulties 02:32.070 --> 02:35.480 that moving homes brings up in kids is 02:35.480 --> 02:37.647 just really like an inability to trust 02:37.647 --> 02:39.480 because your situation is always 02:39.480 --> 02:41.536 changing . It creates just like this 02:41.536 --> 02:43.424 air of like anxiety and kids , so 02:43.424 --> 02:45.591 you're constantly moving and you never 02:45.591 --> 02:47.702 know when you're gonna move . Usually 02:47.702 --> 02:47.670 it's kind of sprung upon you and then 02:47.670 --> 02:49.726 you , you know , you have to pack up 02:49.726 --> 02:51.892 your stuff in trash bags and you get , 02:51.892 --> 02:53.948 you know , an hour notice and so you 02:53.948 --> 02:55.948 just never really feel like safe or 02:55.948 --> 02:58.114 secure stable in any of the situations 02:58.114 --> 02:57.930 that you're in , it just kind of brings 02:57.930 --> 03:00.540 up that's just inability to settle 03:00.550 --> 03:03.430 anywhere , guess what I feel after 03:03.430 --> 03:05.630 having , like having been through so 03:05.630 --> 03:08.390 much and always really never knowing 03:08.390 --> 03:10.680 what to expect with my life . Yes , the 03:10.680 --> 03:13.300 guard has allowed me to , you know , 03:13.300 --> 03:15.467 pick where I want to go and pick where 03:15.467 --> 03:17.522 I want to establish roots after such 03:17.522 --> 03:19.300 uncertainty in my life . I have 03:19.300 --> 03:21.790 definitely come to a place where I do 03:21.790 --> 03:23.870 feel calm and I feel confident and I 03:23.870 --> 03:25.870 feel just , I guess at ease for the 03:25.870 --> 03:27.980 first time in my life and the garden 03:27.990 --> 03:30.080 definitely allowed me to to achieve 03:30.080 --> 03:33.050 that . I have a job that I love , I 03:33.050 --> 03:36.630 have outreach projects that I do and 03:36.640 --> 03:39.690 um it gives me a sense of purpose , 03:39.700 --> 03:43.440 like it wasn't all for nothing . I mean 03:43.440 --> 03:46.350 I'm able to use my story and share that 03:46.350 --> 03:49.760 with other people and it allows me to 03:49.940 --> 03:53.140 to hell in my own way . And it also 03:53.140 --> 03:55.970 allows me to spread awareness about 03:55.980 --> 03:58.240 what is going on in foster care and 03:58.240 --> 04:01.550 what changes do need to be made . 04:13.440 --> 04:13.760 Yeah .