Taking the Risk to Trust
When I entered foster care at 16, I felt confused. The adults around me saw me as a child all over again. Now, I had a curfew. I had to obey the rules set by my agency and my foster mother. If I needed money, I had to tell adults why I needed it. But, […]
Read MoreLearning to Trust Myself
Names have been changed. Growing up, I believed my family was a close one. My siblings and I spent time together, and we traveled every year to new places as a family. We lived in an apartment in East Harlem and I felt comfortable living with my parents, who mostly seemed to care for me. […]
Read MoreFinding Luck
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Luck said sadly, patting my shoulder. The February air was cold and the trees bare. I brushed wet leaves from the damp picnic table and laid my backpack across it like a casket. I unzipped the backpack and pulled out the battered black Chromebook, covered in scratches from my dogs. […]
Read MoreRejecting My Role Model
I was a daddy’s girl. In elementary school, whenever someone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, “I want to be like my dad.” He worked hard, and he was my role model. He didn’t tell me or my siblings about his childhood. Growing up, my aunt, my dad’s younger […]
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