Naomi, 16 years old, VA

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Naomi argues like she is already a lawyer. Ask her opinion on anything from curfews to cafeteria rules, and she will lay out her case with a calm voice, three clear reasons, and a smile that says she is prepared for your rebuttal. She learned to speak up because she had to. After being placed in foster care, Naomi sat in court hearings where adults who barely knew her made decisions about her life, and she decided that no young person should sit in that room without someone fighting for them. She joined her school’s debate team and started keeping a folder of her own records. She always knows the date of her next appointment and the name of everyone who is supposed to support her. Beneath her confidence is a girl who has moved more times than she should have, and who quietly wishes for a little more softness. Naomi is determined to become a family law attorney and child advocate so other young people in foster care have a voice that cannot be ignored. She is sharp, loyal, and funny, with a heart bigger than she lets on. She has spent years learning to stand up for herself, and she is ready to stand up for others too.

Naomi has carried her phone, her folder of important papers, and the small things she needs in a worn backpack or a plastic bag for as long as she can remember. A sleek black purse would keep everything in one place and make her feel ready for school, debate tournaments, and the future she is working toward. For a girl who always knows the date of her next appointment and keeps her own records in order, it is as practical a tool as it is a symbol. It would be a purse chosen to match the professional she is becoming, and a small but powerful sign of the confidence she builds one day at a time.