EVERY OPPORTUNITY TAKEN Gianna knows all too well the biggest misconceptions about children in foster care. “People perceive it negatively, being in foster care. They assume I lived in a group home with strangers. They assume I don’t know my biological mother, father, or siblings. They assume my life has been a struggle, that I don’t have access to the things I need to succeed. None of that is true, though. I want people to know that foster kids are people like me.” And who is Gianna? She’s a motivated, multihyphenate young woman taking advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. 8
At three days old, Gianna was placed with Ms. Campbell, her legal guardian. Gianna’s older sister joined them shortly thereafter. She has five siblings in total, and while her siblings spent periods of time living with their biological mom growing up, Gianna always stayed with Ms. Campbell, a decision that the family arrived at in consultation with Gianna’s mom. Conversations around visitations were open; as Gianna got older, she could visit her mom whenever she wanted, knowing she always had the stability and support of Ms. Campbell’s home to anchor her life.
