Fostering Futures' Young Adult of the Month

Meet D! D is a 20-year-old young woman who has been in foster care for the last seven years. She moved into her first apartment and is preparing to age out of foster care on her next birthday. D works a full-time job and is pursuing a career in the field of art. 

This is what D wrote: 

"I like to compare my experience in life to a video game. I started with the worst pawn in the game and the worst characters around me. However, even with a difficult start, I was able to make the world I was born into better. In the beginning, I tried to tell these characters that maybe they should try things a different way, but I think there was a glitch in their programming. I found out that the only thing I can control in this world is my own character. My character has it ten times harder than the  other players. I had to go through 1000 side missions, but that helped me build my character level. I’m pretty open about my situation so I can get feedback from other people. One time someone told me I have been through more than most people in their 40s have experienced. Rather than looking at myself as a victim, I just say “yeah, I had a lot of character development”. Most of the people in foster care are my main supporters. Currently, I am pursuing a mission in the field of art. I am working full-time at an art supply store. I get to meet other artists and I am able to sell my own art. I am content with where I am in life. Looking forward, I would like to get my name out more in the art scene and grow as an artist."