Justin Hayden
5 years in Indiana’s Foster Care System
20 years old
He/Him/His
Justin experienced five years in the foster care system. He is from Northwest Indiana and is currently a student at Purdue University Northwest. He is a communication major with a focus in public relations and a minor in behavioral psychology. Justin is also an entrepreneur and the Co-founder of Raising Resilience, a business where he provides training, advocacy, and leadership development to youth experiencing or have experienced poverty or have been placed in the foster care system. Justin has served on the Indiana Youth Advisory Board since 2018, served as Hospitality Committee Manager for the Fostering Success Normalcy Conference in 2019 & 2020, and in 2019, engaged in the Chafee Program Alliance Meeting as a Youth Ambassador.
“As an advocate of foster youth, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and people who are underprivileged, I believe that it is my duty to ensure that everyone feels that they have a safe space to exist and live happily.”
