Torin grew up in a home defined by abuse and drug use until the authorities intervened and he went into foster care at 16. He was adopted by a friend but in the same neighborhood, exposed to the...
Ready to Grow
Makayla entered foster care in kindergarten and spent time in multiple foster homes, often separated from her siblings. She was eventually placed in a longer-term home with one of her sisters, but...
A Thousand Percent to Gain
Growing up in an abusive adoptive home, Jason didn’t think he’d live through the trauma and make it to his late teens, let alone graduate high school or attend college. But he found the strength to...
Mission Accomplished (& So Much More)
Marie and her three siblings were taken away from her mother when she was five. For years, they lived in toxic environments, bouncing between foster homes, her father’s house, and her older...
From Survivor to Caretaker: Caitlin’s Story
By Ginny Ollis Caitlin is the oldest of three girls who did not know their fathers. These men were absent because they had been murdered, were in prison or were just not around. Which puts the...
In Honor of Black History Month, JIT Joins KUSI to Talk About the Foster Youth Experience
In honor of Black History Month, JIT Chief Empowerment Officer, Don Wells, was joined on-air by participant Sandra Aaliyah Harness on KUSI's Good Evening San Diego. Together, they shared...
