I am a first-generation college student who aged out of the foster care system. My formative experiences in foster care led me the profession of social work. I earned a BSW (San José State University) and MSW (University of Michigan) with a specialization in social policy and evaluation in the practice area of children and youth in families. During my second year of my MSW studies, I was invited to speak at the White House bill-signing ceremony of the Foster Care Independence Act (FCIA), based on my advocacy work to reform the foster care system. This invitation led to an MSW field practicum at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where I worked on the implementation of the FCIA. Subsequently, I gained significant professional experience as an applied researcher at Westat (a social science research firm) and Chapin Hall Center for Children, as a policy analyst with the Pew Commission on Children in …show more content…
My research focuses on the experiences of young adults with foster care histories. Broadly, I am interested in young adults who exited foster care as adolescents through what is termed “legal permanence” (e.g., adoption, subsidized guardianship, or foster care placement with relatives) and those who have aged out of state custody because they did not achieve legal permanence. Specifically, my research is concerned with how these young adults experienced programs and policy decisions and the extent to which these programs and policies attain their objectives, while also yielding unintended consequences. As appropriate, I incorporate into my classes activities, discussion of my research methods, findings, and lessons learned and look for opportunities to engage students in