“The past few weeks have been quite amazing. When I applied to work with CCAI I had no idea of the magnitude of what I would d be doing and the impact it would have on me. They say that law school changes the way one thinks forever (and it is true); I have become more analytical and question everything. Working with CCAI has also changed the way I think. Not only do I analyze the laws and the way they are made, I have begun to analyze the way I respond to daily life compared to the way a child in foster care would. I have gotten to meet and work with the most amazing 15 youth we call Foster Youth Interns. They are a group of 15 college students who grew up in the foster care system for many different reasons but by no fault of their own. Our foster youth interns are working with congress members and CCAI to change legislation for their peers in the foster care system and all those who will come after them. Tuesday, we attended a Senate Finance Committee roundtable hosted by the Congressional Caucus for Foster Youth. Our youth and others shared their stories about how a piece of legislation that was written about 15 years ago has affected their lives. The amazing part is that the people who wrote the legislation were present and were surprised by what it had become- totally different!
I have gotten to see how legislation moves through various parties: from the time those in the field recognize it as a problem to the time it is enacted into legislation. I am constantly on conference calls with working professionals, stakeholder agencies, congressional staff, and citizens who have been directly impacted by bad or outdated laws. Creating laws is all about relationships…finding the right people who can strategize in an effective manner to influence the right people. I am constantly attending meetings and networking with all kinds of people.
I am continuing to learn new things every day and am completely inspired by what I am learning. Recently, I had an amazing opportunity to have lunch with a woman from the United Nations committee for Children’s Rights. She is an incredible woman who is passionate about child welfare around the world and knowing how to approach difficult discussions with effective action. Today, I also had the pleasure of meeting the former special advisor for adoption and vulnerable children from the US Agency for International Development. He was so kind and told me how he ended up doing child welfare work, as well as what USAID does for children overseas and families wanting to adopt from overseas. He was gracious to listen to me rave about my parents who moved overseas today to start preparation for their work at an orphanage and as a nurse in the community. The great thing about child welfare is that everyone has a personal story to tell – about how they ended up working where they are – because at some point in each of our lives we have experienced child welfare issues first hand through adoption, foster care, poverty, teaching, etc. Although I am learning an immense amount and loving every moment of it, I am realizing how much I miss working face to face with clients. I miss the personal interactions with those experiencing these issues. I think the legislative process is wonderful and is something I hope to do one day. However, I am getting excited to see what it would look like to be on the front lines of child welfare through organizations like Guardian Ad Litem, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), or state social services. Needless to say, the past few weeks have been wonderful in spite of heavy storms and loss of power for several days. Tomorrow, I will attend meetings with Congressional staff regarding barriers to interstate adoptions from foster care in the United States and how those barriers are keeping children from being adopted. I am excited to attend because I was allowed to set up these meetings for a stakeholder who is coming to DC specifically to meet with Congressional staff. The next few weeks will be incredibly busy as we prepare for our Foster Youth Intern Report and their Congressional briefing!
I am so thankful for the chance to learn all that I am learning. I am still not sure if policy is what I want to get into, but I am learning so much that it will prepare me for anything I hope to do later on. I’m so thankful for this opportunity!”