I owe 90,000 dollars to the federal government, before interest, as a former aged out foster youth who got an undergrad at a state school & obtained chafee grants & went back to get an MSW to work with kids, now in foster care and improve their outcomes. What a broken system.

~while diagnosed with ptsd/bipolar 2 from the trauma that occurred on their watch to #gracepacker~

Some FB memories from yesterday of the years I started college/aged out of care and couch hopped and utilized storage closets until I could finally get my first apartment. Couldn’t stay on campus in the summer or Xmas. Had some standup friends like @PatMargera who let me stay.

The government should be paying foster youth for systematic trauma, not putting them into debt when they educate themselves. I will admit PA started tuition free state school in 2020 for foster youth but the factors keeping them from even getting there linger everywhere.

And I fucking fostered while obtaining my degree!!!!!

The kid I’m still supporting in prison who has been fucked by the same system!!!! I might never stop replying to this thread with thoughts.

18-year-old Jessie says fuck the foster care system and capitalism

I carried my digital camera with my into the woods to smoke weed and then made my roommate take this photo. Then had to plug it into my computer and download them into an entire Facebook album. You don’t know my struggles.