I was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. When I was three months old, my mother died. My sister and I went to live with our father in Hartford, Connecticut. We spent the next ten years there. Hartford is a difficult place for a child to grow up. It’s a rough city with failing infrastructure, high […]

I remember knowing that something was very wrong. I was 9 and my sister probably 11. We were waiting outside of school in Brownsville, Texas for my mom to pick us up. This was a rare treat instead of taking the bus. The bus came and went and we kept waiting. When the police came […]

Food and helping young people are my twin passions. I am the chef and owner of Milk & Butter Catering, LLC in Houston, Texas. Yeah, Houston. Living through the aftermath of the 2021 winter storm has been a heck of a roller coaster! I went 6 days without power and water in freezing temperatures. And the end […]

I was born in New Jersey 21 years ago but moved as a baby to Pakistan with my parents and half-sister. Fast forward to 2018 when, halfway through my junior year at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, I moved into The New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan. Me! Living at an iconic New York landmark, built […]

For me, the COVID-19 crisis is happening on two levels. As a deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Conroe Texas, my work life has adjusted, we are taking precautions, but it’s still basically business as usual. I am trained to keep people calm, caution them to take care, but not to panic. Our […]

Meet 29-year old Khadija Adula. Born to Malian parents in Congo, Brazzaville, Khadija spent much of her youth running from unsafe and unstable living situations. A recent college graduate, she dreams of being a gynecologist to protect girls in West Africa from the heinous practice of female genital mutilation.

Khadija shares her journey of resilience and realizing her dreams.

Meet Bilonda Tshimanga.

Meet Travis Schwerin. Originally from Wisconsin, Travis grew up dreaming of a mother he saw from TV personalities. Watching Rosie on TV, he was able to see what a loving parent looked like. Unfortunately, his experiences differed greatly from what he saw. Travis entered the foster care system at the age of 7. Bouncing among various foster families and his birth mom. Now a young adult, he refuses to let his past circumstances define his life. Travis shares his experiences in the foster care system and the bright future he is building for himself. Here’s Travis’ story.

Nawanna Snipe fought a long battle to adopt her daughter Deanna, now 10 years old. With her grandmother’s words of wisdom and love echoing in her ears, she has made it her primary job to ease the pain of her daughter’s past and provide a loving home.

Nawanna discusses the joys and challenges of being a mom to a child who was in the foster care system.

Here’s their story.

Until the coronavirus arrived, the gym was one place where I lived out loud. I have a passion for fitness; it keeps me sane. Now the virus has left me at home more these days which is not the normal for me. I do have an overwhelming 18 credits I’m working toward this semester as […]