VIncent entered foster care at the age of 5. He and his 5 siblings were taken from their mother's custody in Washington State, and he stayed in care for 4 years. After this time, his mother was given custody back, but Vincent felt like the damage was already done. In those 4 years, he had seen many placements, and already had experienced abuse and neglect that would have a lasting impact. His mother moved them all to Minnesota, but Vincent always felt like an afterthought to his mom. At 11 years old , Vincent was taken into foster care again, this time for abuse by his step father. At age 13, Vincent's mother decided she was going to choose her husband over her children and signed over parental rights. At that time, VIncent thought there was no hope left, until he was placed with a very loving foster home. During that time, he said, "I bloomed into a very athletic and outgoing kid. I was a star athlete in track and even received scholarship letters when I was in ninth grade. Christmas’s and birthdays actually felt like special days when I was with them, like a family is supposed to be." However, at 16 he was removed from their home because the county and state of Minnesota mandated that African American kids need to be in African American homes. Vincent was devastated and has never fully recovered from this loss. For years he struggled, but he has recently decided that he must change and have a more positive outlook. He has decided to leave a positive legacy as being the only person in his family to get a college education.