Emily Dang: Fostering Success After Foster Care
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Emily Dang shares valuable knowledge and insight on working with transition-aged and aged-out youth. Emily has over 18 years of experience in child welfare and is passionate about and dedicated to serving foster youth. Emily’s episode is a must-listen for anyone wishing to learn about this uniquely vulnerable population and the resources they need. Emily’s advocacy for these youths is an inspiring listen! If you are a former foster child who aged out of the system and want to share your story, email us at ! You deserve to be heard. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter! Credits: •...
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Kassandra Villarreal: It’s Only Going to Get Better from Here
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
After being abused and mistreated for many years, Kassandra entered the foster care system at age fifteen. Kassandra considers herself lucky – she got to have a job, go on dates, and have a normal high school experience while in foster care. She decided to go to college and eventually felt called to become a Counselor so she could help others. She now has a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Kassandra Villarreal is a devoted Counselor, driven by her passion to support parents, children, and families through individual and...
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Jimmy: From Foster Care to the Courtroom
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Jimmy, a previous interviewee on this podcast, entered the foster care system at age 7 and was placed in 6 different foster homes. Despite having a rough upbringing, Jimmy has now graduated from the Texas Tech University Law School and is a successful Commercial Litigator. In this episode, Jimmy details the advantages and disadvantages of going to law school as a foster kid, and he shares about the mentors who helped him along the way. He discusses his current involvement with the foster care community and explains why his legal practice does not center around the foster care...
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Donetia: We are Works in Progress
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Donetia Meshack entered foster care when she was 11 months old. She was in care for 17 years, where she transitioned through many homes and had only intermittent contact with her birth family. Between elementary school and graduation from high school, Donetia attended seven different schools. Despite the instability that she faced, Donetia loved to learn, and she went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree from SMU and a Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School. After law school, Donetia worked as a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles and operated a private practice as a criminal defense lawyer....
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Tina: Community Saves
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Tina’s story is one of community and being in the right places at the right time—or as Tina would say— miracles. After being removed from her mother’s home at the age of 16, Tina was placed in a group home. The structure became too much for her and she ran away. For a period of time, she lived on the street, couch surfing with former schoolmates, and in a house where she feared she would be trafficked. She was able to escape and luckily ran into her boyfriend’s sister who took her to their parent’s house. There she was caught hiding in his closet by a man who showed her kindness...
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Rob Scheer: Foster Care to Founder
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Rob Scheer shares his inspirational, full circle journey in this can't-miss episode. Rob experienced the foster care system as a youth, and is now a dedicated advocate for other youth in care, a veteran, a husband, a father of children previously in care, an author, a podcast host, and the founder of an impactful non-profit, Comfort Cases. Rob shares his personal insights into the foster care system and how his lived experiences guide the work he does today. Drawing on his experiences as a child who had to carry around a trash bag full of belongings from placement to placement, one of Rob's...
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Bob: Not the "Property of Texas"
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Bob’s story is one of resilience and regaining control. Bob first came to America from Ukraine at the age of 5. He was adopted into a family who subjected him to horrible treatment, until finally at the age of 12 he entered the foster care system. Bob went from placement to placement until he was adopted by his third placement. However, after being adopted, the relationship between Bob and his adoptive family crumbled. For many years, Bob had hardly any sense of control over his own life. He was told where to go, how to act, and who he was as a person. He even found out that his birthday had...
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Candace: It Didn't Happen to You, It Happened for You
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Before graduating with her associate degree, to now working with patients with dementia and suicidality, Candace was teenager navigating her life in the foster care system. Faced with the hardship and heartbreak of being left by her biological family, Candace found hope in the system after being placed with a foster family who showed her unconditional love, support, and the unbreakable bond of family. This went on to change her life and the outlook she had on the system. In the face of adversity, Candace found her voice in the world and used the obstacles she faced as fuel to...
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Ryan: A Story of Survival and Self-Discovery
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Before finding his place in the world, Ryan faced unimaginable hardships. Raised in an unstable environment, his early years were marked by turmoil, as he grappled with his identity amidst the backdrop of foster care. But adolescence had an unexpected twist in store for him. Faced with a life-altering decision, Ryan had mere minutes to choose between living with his aunt and uncle or remaining in foster care. The weight of this decision hung heavily over him, even today Ryan considers how this decision had the power to redefine his entire future. In the face of adversity, Ryan found the...
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Betty: A Light Shines in the Darkness
Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us
Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Betty moved to the United States with her father and younger sister when she was nine years old. When Betty was seventeen, her father went back to Africa, leaving Betty and her sister behind in foster care. Relying on her faith, Betty prayed for a loving home that would keep her with her sister. Betty feels incredibly lucky to have been placed with foster parents that she now calls family. Betty feels that foster kids are unfairly stereotyped as “bad kids” and she wants people to know that they are more than just a kid in the system. Now in...
info_outlineAt the age of 12-years-old, Janice was removed from her home with two brothers due to physical and continuous sexual abuse. She transitioned in and out of emergency shelters, foster homes, and relative placements and attended over 10 different schools throughout her youth. After facing even more sexual abuse at her temporary placement with her biological mother, Janice finally found her saving grace at her seventh placement with a foster care family who treated her like their own daughter. Janice ran away from this family at the age of 17 introducing her to even more experiences that have shaped her into the now wife, mother, and grandmother she is today. Janice is a day habilitation director with a strong passion in helping others successfully transition out of the foster care system.
If you are a former foster child who aged out of the system and want to share your story, email us at [email protected]! You deserve to be heard.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!
Credits:
- Janice Stoner
- Recording team: Katherine Serrano & Sarah Smith
- Editor: Katherine Serrano
- Interviewer: Sarah Smith
- Music Credit:
- Nostalgia” by Tobu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fFMjGs2mvs
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SMU or the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation