2022 Outstanding Young Leaders

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

Wilmary Rodriguez Checo 5 years in Foster Care 25 years old She/her/hers Wilmary Rodriguez Checo is working to complete a Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in Public Policy. She immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2011 in order to pursue her higher education,... Read more

Izzy Rodriguez 6 years in Foster Care 19 years old She/her/hers Izzy Rodriguez is working toward a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a focus on Law, Justice, and Social Change at the University of Michigan. Once she graduates, she plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration and continue... 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

Chanel Staggers 1 year in Foster Care 21 years old She/her/hers Chanel Staggers is working on a degree in political science, with a minor in sociology. After graduation, she plans to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology, and aspires to a career centered on fashion design, styling, and creative directing... Read more

Ryan Young 4 years in Foster Care He/him/his Ryan Young resides in Phoenix, AZ, has spent five years in Arizona’s foster care and extended foster care systems and was originally an orphan from the Ukraine. He is currently studying at Phoenix College to obtain his Associate’s Degree in Political Science... Read more

Marissa Washburn 3 years in Foster Care 18 years old She/her/hers Marissa Washburn is currently completing high school and will be attending American University in the fall, where she will study International Service and Spanish in the 3-year Global Scholars Program. She hopes for a career where she can serve... Read more

Tamara Vest 9 years in Foster Care 25 years old She/her/hers Tamara Vest graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors from the University of Kentucky in 2020, and is currently working toward her Master of Social Work degree. She intends to obtain her LCSW and open up her own counseling... Read more

Brandy Starks 3 years in Foster Care 25 years old She/her/hers Brandy Starks is working toward a Master’s in Social Work at Florida International University. Having previously earned an undergraduate degree in Exceptional Student Education (K-12) from Miami Dade College, Brandy plans to create a center that provides educational and... Read more

Leanne Singleton-Comfort 4 years in Foster Care 25 years old She/her/hers Leanne Singleton-Comfort is a student at Boston University working toward a Master of Social Work degree. She wants to make a career out of working with foster youth in a clinical social work setting. Leanne is an honors graduate... Read more