Mary, 19 years old

Wish submitted by:

Mary is a creative, brilliant, and friendly youth who has been an adovcate for LGBTQ youth like herself for the majority of her life. She has faced multiple barriers to being accepted and celebrated for her identity throughout her journey of navigating a failed adoption and later reentry into the foster care system .Despite the constant barriers she has encountered , she remains proud in who she is and where she will go with her future. She dreams of being a fashion designer or cosmetologist and living in a community where she can be fully embraced for who she is.

Now that Mary is turning 18 she has finally found a program that is perfect for her, and she is planning to move there and build her new life upon her 18th Birthday! Mary found this program on her own , relying on the strong connections that she makes with others and her own self advocacy in getting accepted. This program will require her to move. As we all know, moving, even in the best of circumstances, requires a lot of coordination of different things . While Mary is beyond excited for this next step, she is also anxious about navigating this on her own. One thing that would help Mary navigate this transition and stay connected with her supports as she moves is having a cellphone that she can use to coordinate her moving plan and remain in touch . This phone would make a big difference for her as she takes this next step.