Naya has been in foster care since birth and recently aged earlier this year. CASA is still very involved in her case to aid in her transition to independent adult life! Naya is a dedicated worker who has climbed the ranks at her security officer job. She now is the security supervisor and fire safety marshal at several hotels and homeless shelters in Manhattan and the Bronx. She works with CASA as a youth advocate - her passion is to speak to other youth in foster care to share her experiences and listen to those still in care. Naya believes that more people need to spend time listening to their peers in care, and that if someone spoke to her more in care she may not have stayed some foster care placements that were unhealthy. She can light up a room of youth who are reluctant to speak in public and by the end of her session with them, every teenager in the room is pulled into the conversation. She wants to continue to use her ongoing learning of public speaking skills to engage teens and reform the foster care system!