Meet Maggie G.!

 

MG: Currently, I am a senior in high school and I am taking many rigorous courses. I chose to take three Advanced Placement classes my senior year, and while it's a great experience, I think I may have taken just a little too much on. However, I am still getting pretty good grades as of now. I plan to graduate on June 5th and then attend Western Michigan University in the fall!

I will be a Seita Scholar, and plan to get involved with the Michigan Youth Opportunity Initiative (MYOI) in their county! During my time at WMU, I plan to pursue a Masters in Social Work degree and eventually go to Cooley Law School.  My dream job would be to work along Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson-Law and Order: SVU) and The Joyful Heart Foundation battling child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault.  

MG: I will be forever grateful for MYOI! As a result of MYOI, I have participated in three different conferences that have expanded my knowledge and my connection to outside resources I can use for myself or for others that may need them! In the beginning of September, I was given the opportunity to fly to Florida and attend a conference for foster kids. It was amazing. The people I met there, as well as the workshops provided, assisted me in learning how to act professional and appropriate for an event such as that. The skills I learned when I attended the conference have affected other aspects of my life as well, such as when I am at school, at church, and public functions. 

Another amazing outcome of MYOI is by attending meetings, conferences, and volunteer events, I was able to save a good deal of money in eight months!! With this money, I was able to buy many essential items, such as my laptop, that will help me when I get to college. Beyond that, another perk of MYOI is that many of things that I would normally have to pay for, such as senior pictures and my yearbook, are covered! This is amazing because if we did not have this opportunity many of the youth in the program wouldn't have those mementos! 

MG:  MYOI also gives us the opportunity to be a part of an art program! Once a month, we have a meeting where instead of learning about different skills and life

 tools or listening to a guest speaker, we are able to express ourselves and show our emotions through art! So far, I have done paintings, self-portraits, wire workings, and we've even incorporated music so we could paint the types of ideas or the feelings we had while listening! The art program has been extremely beneficial to every single one of us, and I couldn't think of a better way to express my feelings!

The image to the right is one such piece of art I have completed as a part of the art program!   

FSM:  If you had any advice to give to professionals who work with young people who have experienced foster care, what would it be?  

MG:    The first thing that popped into my head when I read this question was. "love them". I don't mean to tell youth you love them when you don't, or that you even have to love them, but you can be a caring supportive adult.  I had a caseworker who was absolutely an angel sent from God.  What I am getting at is that because of how she interacted with me and because she had shown me she cared, she made a huge impact on my life. She proved that there are people who will stick around to love me, and care about me, and she also pointed out that my guardians do the same thing! Show the youth that you care. That's all we want, is someone to care about us. 

FSM: Lastly, do you have any advice for a young person thinking about joining MYOI, an Art Therapy program, or going to college? 

MG:  DO IT!!! I would be kicking myself if I had skipped out! I needed to escape, and the only way to do that was to start being proactive with my life and about my future! I promise you, it WILL get better. If you feel like you need to give up, just push a little father. Do everything you can to get where you need to be successful. It is so worth it. 

My senior quote is from Mariska Hargitay: "I am grateful that I didn't let fear get the best of me. It only holds you back from possibilities and greatness."