Massachusetts

Divina Cordeiro, Age 19 Pronouns: He/They Divina was born in Boston, MA., and has been involved in the system since the age of thirteen. This lived experience informs their emphasis on compassion and community strengthening when engaged in advocacy work. They served on Boston CASA’s YAB and have given several... Read more

Jacob Robinson, age 24 Pronouns: He/They Several years in Massachusetts foster system Jacob is from Brookline, Massachusetts. He is a student at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. Jacob’s own experience in the criminal justice system has turned him into an advocate to fix the foster care system’s “prison pipeline”... Read more

Courtney Maher 18+ years in Foster Care 25 years old She/her/hers Courtney Maher is a student at Roxbury Community College, taking classes to prepare her to apply for a nursing program. She was inspired to return to school and pursue a career in nursing while working in a hospital detox... Read more

Maimunah Qureshi 7 years in Foster Care 21 years old She/her/hers Maimunah Qureshi is no stranger to ambition. She is currently working towards three simultaneous Bachelor’s degrees at an Honors level, triple-majoring in Aviation, Finance, and Economics, with a minor in Management. She intends to further her education in a... Read more

James Robson He/Him/His 23 Years Old Massachusetts Foster Care System James Robson studied Biomedical Engineering and Music Performance (saxophone) as an undergraduate, and he is now working towards earning a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. James is zealous about research focused around expanding access to healthcare technologies, developing... Read more

Nicole Velez experienced 6 placements in the state of Massachusetts. Currently, she is working 38 hours a week as a Shift Manager, while also going to school at BBC. Nicole works with new foster parents to help them better understand younger children that are in the foster system. She has... Read more

Angel Duarte spent two years in the Massachusetts foster care system. Angel experienced three different placements during her two years in the system. While in foster care, Angel was a part of the Massachusetts Youth Advisory Board and the New England Youth Coalition. Angel has received an Associate of Arts... Read more

Council term: 2016-2018 Before aging out of the child welfare system at 18, Edwyn cycled through many homes and organizations and times experiencing homelessness. Edwyn is currently pursuing his Masters degree in public policy and administration from Wilmington University. He has assisted former congressman and UMASS President Marty Meehan, and... Read more

Daniesha was born in Falmouth, MA. She was placed into Foster care at the age 1, and her mother was granted reunification when Daniesha was seven. Her family moved to a large city where Daniesha lived for the next seven years until she and her siblings were, once again, placed... Read more