Oregon

Kortnee Walker, age 24 Pronouns: She/Her 10+ years in Oregon foster system Kortnee is from Independence, Oregon. She is a senior at Portland State University, and hopes to someday work in social work. Kortnee’s foster care experience has shaped her desire to advocate for foster youth and seek out change... Read more

Abigail Winter, age 19 Pronouns: They/Them, Zey/Zem 3 years in Oregon foster system Abigail is from Corvallis, Oregon. They are pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Theater, and plans on gaining a Master’s degree in teaching. Abigail’s future career plans are open, but they want to help young people in some... Read more

Levi Spiritwalker 2 years in Foster Care 22 years old They/them/theirs, He/him/his Levi Spiritwalker is currently attending Portland Community College, and then plans to transfer to Portland State University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Public Health . Later, they want to pursue a Doctorate degree in... Read more

Jaquelyn Reyes Alonzo 3 years in Foster Care 23 years old She/her/hers Jaquelyn Reyes Alonzo is working on a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Warner Pacific University. She plans to take the LSAT and enroll in law school after she graduates. In the future, as an attorney, Jaquelyn wants to... Read more

Jamie entered foster care at 13 years old and aged out of the system at 18. Throughout her time in care, she experienced 8 placements including kinship placement, group homes, health facilities, and foster placement. Jamie aged out of her final placement and experienced some instability and struggled to get... Read more

Jacob Lilley entered foster care at age 16, and received a court appointed guardian one year later. Jacob is currently a student at Bushnell University in Eugene, Oregon. He is pursuing a BS in business management, minoring in interpersonal communication. He anticipates graduating in 2023, but has a goal of... Read more

Nailah Jones She/Her 24 Years Old Oregon Nailah is currently an undergraduate student living in Portland, Oregon. She attends Portland Community College and is planning to pursue her degree in social services. Nailah entered the child welfare system when she was 2 years old, and spent approximately 16 years in... Read more

Jaquelyn Reyes Alonzo She/Her/Hers Oregon Foster Care System Jaquelyn Reyes Alonzo is currently attending Warner Pacific University majoring in Psychology. Her educational goals are to graduate from Warner with her bachelors degree in Psychology. Some of Jaquelyn’s hobbies include Soccer, reading, hiking and dancing. She loves dancing hispanic music. Jaquelyn... Read more

Toriandre Givens 17 years in Oregon’s Foster Care System 20 years old He/him/his Tori spent 17 years in foster care due to his parents being incarcerated since he was three. Moving from foster home to foster home was rough on him. At age 19 he transitioned out of care and... Read more

Raven spent 13 years in Oregon’s foster care system. Her experience in care was difficult. She moved 19 times, with periods of homelessness in between some later placements. She reports many losses during these years. Raven has worked with Oregon Foster Youth Connection since 2014, She is especially proud of... Read more