Courtney Ramos

What is the one thing you wish people knew about the foster care system from your perspective.

The one thing I wish people knew about foster care from my perspective is that foster care isn't all rainbows and butterflies. When I was in foster care I was always wondering when I would be moved again or be changing schools again. It's also hard at first to talk about why you're in the system and open up about certain things. It is also hard to do things that a normal child would be able to do (sleepover at a friend’s house, get a driver’s license, participate in sports or anything related to that). Many networks are working at improving the system and advocating for youth, but more awareness needs to be brought out.

What was the key takeaway from your experience of Foster Youth Shadow Day last year?

There were many key takeaways I got from my experience last year like that there are a lot of children in care, and it is nationwide. But the one takeaway I got was that there are many networks and agencies and people out there working to improve the system and make changes that are needed.