Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My adoptive parents instilled an entrepreneurial, goal oriented mindset in me from early on. Their memory, combined with my drive to overcome a difficult childhood are my inspiration in business. There is a reason the effects of foster care systems trend shockingly negative. I know the long term effects that foster care can have on a person first hand- even though I was ‘a lucky one’. To give back to my foster community and work towards improving foster care outcomes is personal.

How do you stay motivated?

I work in honor of my adoptive parents and their memory. For one, knowing there are kids currently in foster care that need extra support, and people out of foster care that are struggling to find security in adulthood keeps me motivated. Knowing that less than 50% of foster kids graduate high school and below 4% ever obtain a four year degree, proves to me that this community needs support. I stay motivated because I have overcome many obstacles in my life, and that will not be for nothing.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I estimate a third going towards our programs and collaborations to support foster youth- like our upcoming tech access program. There is a massive tech accessibility gap for foster youth, which affects success rates in education. We have multiple support programs to fund. The second portion would go to securing an office location for operations that isn’t in my home. The rest would be invested into Project ACE documentary, which shares stories from the foster care system.