I am 22 with an old soul. Every inch of me is a representation of my grandmother; the way that I cook, the jokes I make, the songs that I listen too, and the way I present myself as a woman.

My grandmother took me into her custody at one year old after my mother died at the age of 21. My grandmother did not have enough resources to care for me. I was taken from my grandmother at the age of ten. I was a happy, cheerful, and normal kid. My grandmother and I cooked together, laughed together, and danced together. When I went into foster care things changed my old soul to a sad spirit. To me, my grandmother had done nothing wrong. She did what she could to take care of us, but according to the state, that was not enough. I remember that day clearly! I came home from school and saw the sad look on my grandmother’s face. There was a police office and caseworker waiting to take me away. I remember my grandmother asking if we could spend just one more night with her…

2007 All-Star Sherena Johnson entered Georgia's foster care system through kinship care at the age of 10. She aspires to become a clinical social worker and start a non-profit organization that offers free counseling to youth in foster care.