Rooted in Resilience: My Path to Social Work and Supporting Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

When I reflect on my journey, both personal and professional, one word rises to the surface: resilience. Not just my own, but the kind I’ve witnessed in the lives of the young people I work with at Brightside Child & Family Advocacy. Youth who have endured instability, abandonment, or trauma. However, they keep showing up, keep trying, and keep hoping. They are the definition of resilient, and they’ve taught me more about strength than I could have imagined.

I didn’t always know I’d become a social worker. Like many, I began my career search with uncertainty. But I did know one thing clearly: I wanted my work to mean something. I wanted to wake up and know I was helping someone navigate a world that too often overlooks them. That search led me to Brightside Child & Family Advocacy, and specifically to their Brighter Futures program. These are young people who often face adulthood alone without the safety net that most of us take for granted.

Youth aging out of foster care face many challenges:

• Housing instability: Many end up homeless within 18 months of leaving care.
• Unemployment: Without support networks or job readiness skills, steady employment can be hard to maintain.
• Mental health struggles: Trauma doesn’t disappear at 18. It lingers, often untreated.
• Isolation: With no natural support system, loneliness and disconnection are common.
• Systemic barriers: From accessing healthcare to navigating college applications, they're expected to manage adult responsibilities with minimal guidance.

These realities are heartbreaking, but they’re not the whole story.

Because what I see every day with Brighter Futures is that with the right support, these young people can thrive. Sometimes, it’s just being there consistently. Celebrating their wins, sitting with them through losses, and reminding them they’re not alone. My work is about showing up, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard. And in doing so, we build something they may never have had before: trust.
Working with youth aging out of care has deepened my understanding of what it means to be strong, not in the absence of struggle, but in how you continue in spite of it. These young people have taught me patience, humility, and the power of human connection. They’ve also taught me that change isn’t always loud or immediate. Sometimes, it looks like a young person making their first dentist appointment. Or going back to school. Or saying, “I trust you.”
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As a social worker, and as a human, this work has stretched me. I’ve grown in resilience, in empathy, and in the belief that healing is always possible if we create the space for it.

Tra'Kissa Johnson
​Brighter Futures TeamP: Case Manager