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What are you currently up to?

I recently began an internship at the White
House with the Domestic Policy Council
on Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity.
This would not have been possible without
the support and encouragement of
CCAI’s staff and the opportunity to brief
this same office during the Foster Youth
Internship Program™. After completing
the FYI Program last summer I was really
nervous and anxious about pursuing the
White House internship. The CCAI staff
were some of my biggest cheerleaders
through the application process. CCAI has
What impact do you think you have made for children become more than a place I interned with.
and youth currently in the foster care system through They have become my family. The Foster
CCAI’s Foster Youth Internship Program™? Youth Internship Program™ helped instill

confidence in me, and has given me the tools
You never really know the impact you have on a person, place or even necessary to continue on the journey of
an entire system in the moment. Last summer was all about planting advocating for foster youth and helping to
seeds that will take shape and grow for the next generation of foster raise up the next generation of leaders.
youth. You don’t always see change happen immediately, but if you
continue to fight for justice and persevere, transformation happens.

Just recently, I met two young girls who are in the foster care system.
After sharing my story and the work I did this summer with CCAI,
they immediately thanked me for fighting for them. Conversations like
this are when I realize the work I was doing as a Foster Youth Intern
made a difference. Striving to make an impact on someone’s life goes
far beyond just doing what seems good. It is doing good in the face of
adversity and having the perspective that one day it will produce results,
even if you can’t see it right away.

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