Star's Story

There are many words and phrases that can be used to describe Star - intelligent, funny, personable, and a breath of fresh air.  But for a long time, the heaviest label she wore was “foster youth.” For Star, who was placed in care when she was only days old due to her mother’s drug addiction, being a foster youth meant carrying immense feelings of pain, isolation, shame, and guilt.

With such a heavy burden at such a young age and no vision for a different future, Star turned to marijuana and alcohol to numb the pain. “I drifted for a while,” she recalls.  “That time in my life is just a blur. I was just throwing my life away.” She grew tired of living hand to mouth, and became “sick and tired of being dependent.” Something inside of her pushed her to seek more for herself and to reach out for help.  She didn’t know what she needed or what help would look like, but she knew that she was ready and open to accept help to make her life one that she would be proud of.

Star reached out to her county worker, who immediately referred her to First Place.  Star’s world view changed the moment she walked into First Place’s community center. “I realized that there were lots of kids out there with similar stories to mine, but they had hopes for a different future. I could see that First Place would give me an opportunity like no other, and I had to make the most of it.”

After participating in First Place’s Step it Up class with a community of other youth, Star moved into an apartment through the My First Place program.  She has landed a job at West Contra Costa School District as a group leader and plans to enroll in Diablo Valley Community College this fall.  But most gratifying to Star is that, with the help of her Youth Advocate, she has begun to heal the deep emotional scars that being in foster care created.  And she realizes this is just the beginning of good things to come.