Meet Alex!

My name is Alex, and I spent time in foster care both as an infant and as a teen.  From the age of 15 I remained in care, going through 17 different foster homes until I aged out at 18.  I attempted to stay on State's services to complete college but dropped out after experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.  

My work with foster care began while I was in it; I spoke at local foster parenting classes and served as a peer advisor for Tennessee's 'Youth2Youth' group.  After moving to Utah, I again became involved as a volunteer and mentor.  In Utah, some of the programs I worked with are the Youth Mentor Project, the Village Project (WVC) and U of U's First Star Academy.  I am ecstatic to be a part of the 1999 Collective.  

I am a jack of all trades professionally; I have worked as a baker and a teacher.  I have been an  EMT for almost 11 years.  I moved to Sweden and lived there on a work visa as an au pair, gaining a residency permit after one year of work.  I love learning more than anything else in the world, and my current focus is electrical school; I am currently a second year student.  It is hard for me to pick a favorite out of all the work I have done, and I hope that is always the case.

Aging out of care and slipping through the cracks of the system personally has affected my life in many ways; with the 1999 Collective, I hope to bring expertise and passion for helping youth leaving the system.  Even though children in care are unanimously seen as vulnerable, the same courtesy is rarely extended to young adults who age out of care, left with few resources and support networks while they try to catch up to their peers.  I hope to be that support network for young people while educating our allies, creating a stronger 'village' of resources and compassionate humans who have the power to change lives.  

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." --Marie Curie