The Hill News

When 14-year-old Janessa Senter was sitting in her high school classroom, she never dreamed that a trip to the principal’s office would change her life forever. But it did just that. One day during class, Janessa was called into the office where she was informed that she and her two sisters were being placed into foster care. Suddenly Janessa was thrust into an unknown and frightening world. In the four years that followed, until she exited the foster care program at age 18, Janessa was passed from group home to youth shelter to several different foster homes. The lack of a parental guide in her life hurt her; she remembers not knowing how to do simple tasks like opening a checking account or filling out financial aid forms for college. There was simply no one to teach her those skills.
 
Fortunately, Janessa’s story does have a happy ending. She has now found a “parent” who has committed to being a loving guide and foundation for the rest of her life. ! That commitment has forever impacted Janessa’s life for the better. She now is a senior social work major at the University of North Iowa who looks forward to one day starting a Youth and Family Center in her hometown of Wellington, Iowa. She also serves as a spokesperson for FosterClub, a national network of former foster youth that believes every young person in foster care deserves to be connected, informed, inspired and represented.

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