I’m very creative. I love to explore. I’m very neat. Emotions and people inspire my art. Also, the
idea that I know when I’m done, someone else is going to love it. When I sold my artwork for the first time, it was very intriguing—because I was happy that they liked it, but I felt like I was gonna miss it.
Right now, I’m working at the Performers Academy. We mentor and teach kids coping ways—like art, drawing, literature, music production, dancing, and fabric design. And they also have a work readiness program. I like my job. I like the people there. The kids are my favorite part of the job, just because they like me and I like them. There is this one kid, and she was in an art class, and she drew me a little painting. I have it hanging up on my wall.
Oh, man, I love watching TV. I watch a lot of shows. I love fantasy. I like fantasy, romantic action kind of movies. But occasionally I get stuck in anime. I like a wide variety, but I cannot and will not watch reality.
If I could travel anywhere, I would go to Spain. I like the culture, and I like that it looks older and not so modern and new. And I love the beach.
I’m very proud of my GED. I was not happy with the studying. I did not want to take it in general. And after I took it, I got on the bus to go back home. I looked at my score and I passed—and I literally started crying on the bus and jumped up. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. And I’m like, “I passed my GED!” I told everyone on the bus. But yeah, that’s my biggest accomplishment.
Professionally, I’m trying to complete my phlebotomy exam. I’ve always loved helping people. And I want to be an RN. That’s my long-term goal. It takes a lot of mental concentration to prepare for the exam, because when you’re sitting at home alone and you have the TV and you have a speaker and you have a phone, you don’t always feel like studying. It really takes a lot. You need to have the mindset of, I need to pass this test.
Future goals? A house—my own house. Be able to budget properly, save, have a car, and a driver’s license. And then once I get out of school, then I start working. I want to stay in healthcare as long as I can. But eventually, I know I want to have kids. So whenever I have kids, I will take a break for sure.
I was in juvenile detention and my birthday was coming up soon, and they were going to release me—free of charge, but homeless. So I talked about it with a couple of girls who had a great connection with Brandy and See the Girl. They were coming once a week to do their groups and hand out snacks. Really good snacks, may I add. And then Brandy came and sat me down and was like, “Hey, we have this awesome program that you can be in.” I talked to her about my situation and she’s like, “We could definitely help you.” And that’s when I got into it. So when I was released, with one Croc and joggers that were too big and a shirt that was way oversized—it was the quickest opportunity for me not to be on the streets alone.
It’s been good to live at the independent living program. I like my freedom, to an extent. It gets hard at times because you’re in a community that’s never really changing, and there’s a lot of gossip. I mean, I do stay far away from it, but I still hear about it. Then there’s budgeting and paying rent and everything like that. We’ve had a miscommunication with the youth that lived there and the adults and the invoices. So our rent had stacked up to a high amount and they just sent it out. I was furious—because it shouldn’t have been that high. I was also furious at myself because I knew the limit of what to pay, and I could have just been paying that instead of waiting around for an invoice. But besides that, living there has been better than living with my biological mother. I will say that.
So my first independent program was with Daniel Kids, and I started paying rent and I got furious because nobody else was paying rent and I knew that. So I talked to my manager, Tracy, and she said, “Just keep paying rent.” And I did. I was really upset about it, but I did. And then at the end of my stay, all of it came back. It felt nice. It felt great—because I really needed that. I wish I made better choices with spending it. But it felt great to know that I was doing the right thing.
It was very joyish to reconnect with my foster family. Their support has meant so much to me and I mean that with my entire heart. I was in their care from two months old to three years old. And that is the bonding time. My biological mother wasn’t there. So of course I bonded with the mother that was there for me. And she was constantly there for me, even when I wasn’t in her care. Now that we’ve reconnected after such a long time of being apart, and I’ve gone to their home and seen all the pictures on their walls that they still had of me—it made me feel like this is the family I should have been with.
Ms. Brandy has helped me to stay focused and motivated. She is a great person. And I love that she is there for me. And whenever I tell her anything, she’s like, “I got you. You just got to keep going. You got to keep going.” She’s always there for me when I need someone to vent to and answers. She’s definitely my reason for thinking of budgeting because she’s always on top of that. The role Brandy and the Policy Center have played in my life is immaculate. There have been days when I have felt a type of way, and Brandy somehow turned it positive. I also am very thankful for the gifts and the opportunities that they have. This place has made my network widen a lot. And Brandy loves to support me. And I love that Brandy loves to support all of her other kids.
I’ve learned therapy is necessary. So I go to therapy. I’ve learned accountability. Even though I knew it, I just didn’t have a grasp on it. I’ve learned that people make mistakes, and that it is harder for some people to come back from that mistake—but we just need to give them a chance.
I want people to understand that we fall more times than people who’ve never struggled. There’s not enough places in Jacksonville that people know about that are very helpful. A lot of people don’t know about it and they end up on the street—and it breaks my heart.
The advice I would give is: patience is a virtue for sure, and breathing is definitely important. Because again, like me, I’ve had a very, very extensive journey. And here I am—thriving, living, succeeding. And I don’t necessarily feel bad, but I have pity for some people who don’t grab the advantage when it’s given to them. I would tell someone to think about where you want to be in your future. How are you gonna get there and plan it out? Take the extra help. And if you don’t, then leave it and do something else. It’s definitely a pleasure and a great thing to just take the hand that is given to you.
I was in and out of foster care. My mother was very narcissistic and abusive. Along with foster care is also in and out of Baker Acts. I’ve been to the Duval Detention Center four times—but I’ll take it, as long as I get away from someone who should love me and doesn’t love me. And if I had a chance to redo, I would do it exactly the same. There was a long journey that I’ve been on and I am not even upset. I’m not upset. I’m not furious. I’m not even disappointed that it happened the way that it did—because I would not be sitting here. Things happen. And sometimes, things happen for the best.
—Zala
