‘Confidence is something I’ve had to build piece by piece.’

Audrie has been a Just in Time participant since 2021. She is currently a senior at SDSU studying psychology, with a minor in counseling and social change. She hopes to become a licensed therapist someday. She has participated in Financial Fitness 101 and 102, College Bound, and—most recently—My Life, My Story, where she met her mentor, Holly.  

” I want you to picture a little girl—five years old—who has known more uncertainty than stability. A child navigating the foster care system, never quite sure where she’ll sleep next, who she will be living with, or when she’ll eat again. That little girl was me. I spent ages three through twelve in foster care, learning early what independence felt like when it wasn’t a choice but a necessity. I had to mature quickly. I had to speak up, ask for help, and advocate for myself when nobody else could.  

Somewhere along the way, I found a voice strong enough to carry me. But even after I left foster care and moved in with the family I now call my own, that voice had more growing to do. My foster father, a U.S. Army veteran, came home carrying trauma that shaped our home life in ways I didn’t always know how to navigate. My foster mother did everything she could, but often I was the one stepping in—standing up for my siblings and for her. The yelling, the tension… It was heavy. And yet, over time, I grew less afraid and more determined to protect the people around me.

Everything began to shift when our family started seeing a marriage and family therapist. With her support, my dad learned how to regulate his emotions and communicate in healthier ways.

Fast-forward to 2021. I graduated high school (something younger me never dared to imagine) and was accepted into SDSU on a full-ride scholarship through Guardian Scholars.

For the first time, I felt myself move from simply surviving to actually believing I could thrive. College came with its own challenges, though.

I moved from a tiny rural town to sunny San Diego, wrestled with imposter syndrome, and had to figure out how adults make friends (which still feels like a mystery sometimes). That’s where Just in Time stepped in again. Every program I joined was supported by staff who saw me, checked in with me, and made space for me. My anxiety about meeting new people eased because I was surrounded by kindness—both from JIT staff and fellow participants.  

Confidence did not come naturally to me at first. I struggle with body image issues that can be debilitating at times. During my first year of college, I had had enough of feeling bad about myself. I sought professional help to heal distorted thoughts about my body. I also began to take my physical health seriously, working hard on a body that I could be proud of. Reminding myself the “perfect bodies” I see on social media are oftentimes not real or achievable, while also learning to love and cherish the body I was given. Your body is a beautiful machine, and you only get one, so why not treat it well?  

 These are things I choose to practice, not something that just appears. But through my journey—through the people who lifted me up and the challenges that shaped me—I’ve learned how to stand firm — speak up — and believe that the life I’m building – is a gift. 

Audrie with her Just in Time, My Life, My Story coach/mentor Holly.