Nigel has been apart of CASA since his teenage years and although he has aged out, he continues to work closely with us to ensure his success in his transition to adulthood. Nigel entered into care when he was in middle school. When he was a teen, he got involved in the criminal justice system and was sent to prison for several years. It was during this that his CASA advocate bonded with Nigel - she visited him every week, gave him books, and brought him a cake on his birthday. Through this mentor relationship, Nigel realized he had to make different decisions when he got out or else he'd be right back in. Before leaving jail, he finished high school, got several job certificates, and created plans to start his own business. Right now he is working for a foster care agency and using his youth entrepreneur skills to create a board game for youth in care (and those who work with them) to teach them on how to best utilize the system and what to expect at different foster care placements. He has been working on the CASA Youth Leadership Council for over a year now. His crowning accomplishment was speaking to all family court judges at their annual retraining. There he presented his recommendations to make court a more appealing place for teenagers. Several judges have taken his recommendations and are changing their practices based off of his work!