Teen transitions from foster care to adulthood intent on helping others

Navigating adulthood is hard. Doing it without a support system is even harder.

This is the reality for the hundreds of foster youth in North Carolina making the transition to independent adulthood with little to no family support.

Trent Taylor understands how living in the foster care system can impact your transition to adulthood.

He’s a student at Wake Technical College and is enrolled in the school’s Fostering Bright Futures (FBF) program. The program assists foster youth in making the transition to independent young adulthood.

By providing academic, social, and financial support, the program eliminates barriers that would typically derail foster youth from meeting educational and life goals.

As Trent prepares to graduate from the program this month, he took a moment to reflect on his experience. Here he shares his journey overcoming past trauma and his plans for life after FBF.

I spent five years in the foster care system due to domestic violence, extreme neglect and sexual abuse. After that, I was adopted, alongside my younger brother. It was then that my healing journey began. During that time, academics were becoming a priority because I was in a place where I was loved, felt safe and could focus on that. The thought of going to college became more in the front of my mind and more of a possibility. But I was also worried about how I would finance that opportunity. And then Fostering Bright Futures came along and basically alleviated all that stress.

Life is definitely different. The program has given me so much support and so many resources and connections that’ll last a lifetime. Now that I’m almost on the other side, I’m just more prepared moving forward than I ever was before.

I’m transferring to Arizona State University (ASU) in the fall and enrolling in their online program. After I complete my Bachelor’s in family and human development, I plan to get my Master’s in either clinical social work or clinical counseling. I want to become a therapist and continue my work and advocacy helping children overcome their trauma. I also want to continue public speaking, mentoring and just changing the world for those who are in foster care and helping them.

Since the age of 10, I knew I wanted to be a therapist. I wanted to be able to help children find the healing that I have found. I wanted to help them get from the depths of their past trauma into the light. ASU is one of the few schools that I looked at that offers a family human development degree for my Bachelor’s. I feel like, with my career path, having the family and the whole human aspect really goes well with what I want to do in my future.

My favorite memory is the first Christmas party I went to through the program. It was great to be able to let the stresses of life, school and emerging adulthood aside and just be a kid again. You know, for the first eight years of my life, I didn’t have that chance. That time was taken from me. So, just being able to feel like that little kid again and being able to sit on Santa’s lap, it just kind of helped make up for those missed moments in a way.

Throughout my time in the program, I’ve had constant support. FBF has helped me with my confidence, my ability to advocate more and public speaking. Professionally, I’ve learned skills that will help me move forward in school and with my future career. The program taught me a lot about finances like how to budget and certain financial topics. And things like understanding the ins-and-outs of college, tuition and covering books. They even helped me get my first car.

At any moment, if I needed anything, I could pick up the phone and someone would be there. That’s such an amazing feeling – especially navigating college for the first time.

I would say have hope. Take it headfirst and find that one person to be there for you. If you want to be successful in life, academically or career-wise, you have to move past your trauma. It’s one of the most difficult things you’ll ever do, but it’s also the most rewarding. I know this from personal experience. I mean I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had the chance to move past my trauma.

Trent’s future brims with potential and unlimited possibilities. His journey is a reminder that “talent is universal, but opportunity is not.”

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), we know this to be true.  We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to learn and live their fullest life. We’ve committed to doubling the number of students FBF supports. With a $346,000, three-year investment, FBF will expand its core program services. It will further help Wake County’s most vulnerable youth learn the skills they need to live as healthy, independent adults.

Blue Cross NC was recently recognized for its transformational support for FBF program at Wake Tech’s annual IGNITE event. The investment has been recognized as the largest and most impactful gift the program has received.

We are proud to support FBF and see more youth, like Trent, realize their greatness and full potential.