Keonna R./ You're not stupid you are not dumb you are wanted by someone don't let them tell you otherwise

"Stop assuming that just because we talk differently act different that were a problem we need more help than most people.."

Keonna reflects on her years spent in foster care system. One of the biggest challenges the abuse, no one to help me and not getting taught anything in the group home special education schools . She overcame it by unfortunately a walling to the library regularly to study and teach herself so she can graduate high school under a certificate of completion non-sequency to a high school diploma or GED.
Despite the abuse she focused on being a better person and protected others in a system, stayed on top of her mental health medication and CMI psychiatrist regularly. She started being an honest person standing up for herself and using the trauma she endured as a reason not to give up and not to treat other people how she had been treated. She’s now in college doing what she knew she wanted to do since she was 9 years old which is become a lawyer.

"I was a prisoner like I wish people did not tell me that nobody wants me that I will never amount to anything that who's going to believe me when I have a mental health rap sheet that they gave me because they were trying to cover up their abuse not have forced me to wear more clothes especially in heat because they wanted to cover up the bruises that were on my body for the entirety I was in the system.."

Keonna would like to see people adopt more of these kids for the right reasons not because of paycheck. These kids don't need to be in these group homes there's too many kids and the staff don't care child will get hurt in the system come up missing or dead. The systems no place for anybody no system in society is a good place for anybody, She would like for the world to stop stereotyping foster youth for more word of the courts and former foster youth. She believes there needs to be a specific difference people need to start saying exactly what each mean because a former Foster youth is a person that has one point been adopted out of the system or word of the court is when a child is fully in the custody of the state and the county in which they were taken into custody in .

" Persevere through it all and defy those odds, do it with a smile on your face and with God backing you up."

When it comes to her experience with her foster parents,foster homes, and what she feel they could have done to better support her. She felt they didn’t understand that she had just come from a group home that was super restricted so when she got the freedom she did. she wanted to do a bunch of things. She wanted to try new things like going out with friends to games, etc .She also believe more effort to communicate, and understand each other is really important. She have to feel that decisions we make, as children we are held against her, but in some positions she just didn't know any better she was protecting herself in the best way that she knew how.

"Always remember you will at one point get out you do not have to do what's been done to you. Being a better person is not for the week being the person and survival where you survive now is not for the weak crying doesn't make you we don't let the system make you numb.."

Keonna is most proud that she did not break, that she survived, she protected others, and she knew who she was. She is proud of where she is and that she did not become what they thought her that she was going to become. She succeeded
through the pain through the trauma and the strife.

She envision herself going to a 4 year college having her kid back in a house for first time, She see herself being a home buyer having different vehicles and working a career job that she love. She wants to be living comfortably with a healthcare network system that actually understands her health and listens to her. That will take care of everything that she need medically without a problem.

Keonna goal in life is to have her child, graduate from college and got to a 4 year university. She hopes to own a home and get another car that is working properly. She wants to have a proper healthcare system set up for her chronic conditions so she doesn’t have to worry. Lastly she hopes to have a better support network and be able to start enjoying life and having fun experiences.