New Jersey

At one of Yosua’s poli-sci classes at Fairleigh Dickinson University, he had a group project that involved students from India, Sweden, Bosnia, Kosovo, South Africa, and Brazil. Many of the students didn’t speak English well, and the team had to find a way to get this project done. They used... Read more

Council Term: 2015-2016 Crys O’Grady, JD, is the research manager at NICWA. Crys earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology with an emphasis on poverty and inequality from Stanford University, and her juris doctor from the University of Washington School of Law. While at Stanford, Crys conducted quantitative research on the... Read more

Ross Brown spent 5 years in New Jersey's Foster Care System. Ross Brown is a New Jersey Outstanding Young Leader. He has earned this award through surviving some startling situations and fighting for a better and more honest life. Ross could have been a statistic, but knew he wanted something... Read more

Crystal Teschner spent 4 years in New Jersey's Foster Care System Crystal Techner spent four years in foster care before she was adopted along with her three younger sisters. Because she was the oldest, Crystal made it her job to be there for her sisters every step of their journey... Read more

Ryan experienced 15 different placements within a three year period. These placements ranged from foster homes to kinship placements to homeless shelters. He felt he could turn to no one for support other than his close friend and friend's family. "...they were the only constants in my life during the... Read more