• What Family Means to Me

  by Emily Taveras

  Names have been changed. My first childhood memory is being in a strange room with other kids crying.  I entered the foster care system when I was 2 years old, and the memories I have of growing up in care are mostly fragmented, glued-together pieces.

• Almost Derailed by the Pandemic

  by Vinay Hinduja

  Last year I was in the spring semester of my junior year at Queens College when COVID-19 shut school down. At first, I was excited that I wouldn’t have to wake up early for class anymore. Then I found out I was getting kicked out of the dorm—which was my home.

• Life On My Own

  by Bryant A.

  Foster care was a pretty good experience for me. I came into care when I was 15, and was placed with a good foster mother, Blanca, right away. She helped me stay on track, and so did some of my foster care workers.

• Unplanned Parenthood

  by B.A.

  Names have been changed. Daisy and I knew each other for about five years before we cuffed. We have a lot in common: We are both from Brooklyn. We both have a good sense of humor and like hip-hop, action movies, and comedy.

• I Finally Got an Apartment, but I Still Want to Be Adopted

  by B.A.

  Names have been changed. My parents abused and neglected me, and I went into care when I was 15. I lucked out getting Teresa for a foster mother. She was the first true mother figure I had. Six years later, I am still living with her and she is in the process of adopting me.

• Coronavirus Wrecked My Transition From Foster Care

  by Joanna Maestre

  I first heard people talk about coronavirus at my school during the first week of March. I go to a vocational school called Co-op Tech, and I am studying to be a graphic designer. Classmates and teachers talked about the virus, but I was honestly too busy to worry about the few cases that were in New York.