Success Stories

Matthew came to Rosemont at the end his seventh grade year due to having difficulty maintaining in school because of his angry and aggressive behaviors. Matthew had significant problems listening to authority, especially in his special education classrooms. Matthew experienced low self-esteem academically due to being in special education classrooms. Matthew was frequently suspended from school and had difficulty taking responsibility for his actions. Matthew has never had a positive male role model in his life and had a hard time opening up to adults.

Over Matthew's time in the Eagle Heights Academy, Matthew made significant progress in the way he interacts not only with adults but also with peers. Matthew was able to establish meaningful relationships with staff and was able to process the reasons for some of his anger and aggression. Matthew's boundaries improved with teachers and adults by being able to follow directions and stay on task for most of the school day. Matthew grew in the ways he was able to communicate with adults and peers and showed positive leadership skills both in and out of the classroom. Matthew is able to take more responsibility for his actions and also identify his roles in certain conflict. Matthew's confidence and self-esteem in his academics grew significantly and now Matthew is getting straight A's. Matthew will be successfully discharging the Eagle Heights Academy and moving on to high school, both are goals that Matthew is proud to have achieved in his stay at Rosemont.

My name is Sasha Simpson and I am a 20 year old mother and former foster child, about to finish my senior year of college at Capital University. My life has had many up and downs and I am sure my trials and tribulations have made me the strong woman that I am today. When people look at me I am sure they don’t see “foster child”, they see intelligent young woman trying hard to get to where she wants to be, and that’s because I don’t let that term stagger who I want to become. Life for me has been far from easy, but I don’t feel sorry for myself and I keep pushing on.

I had been in the foster care system since I was about 8 years old until the age of 16. I was not in foster care consecutively for those years, my two older brothers and I would be in a home for a while then my mother would do what was necessary to get us out and the cycle continued throughout my life. This was very hard for me being the only girl because many times we would be separated. Sometimes we would be together which made it a little easier, but as many people know regardless of if you’re with your siblings the whole ordeal is that hardest thing imaginable. When I was 10 years old I moved to Columbus, Ohio and became familiar with Rosemont. I have to say that I was blessed with great foster parents most of the time, people that really cared for me and treated me like their own. This made it a little easier for me to maintain a practically normal life. I actually fell in love with a few of my foster parents and still keep in touch with them now. It was hard having rules that other kids didn’t have and not being able to be as free as them, but my frustration motivated me in other ways. I focused all my energy on my schooling and sports. I made up in my mind that being in foster care wasn’t going to hold me back in my life and I had a plan.

When I was 16 my plan was interrupted with an unexpected pregnancy, which also became an obstacle in my life. Now I had a child to take care of. My foster mother at the time was very supportive and loving and she helped me a great amount along the way. At the end of my pregnancy I moved back with my mother and finished out my senior year in high school. I had such a great relationship with my foster parents that my mother asked them to be my god parents and they accepted. They are a very important part of me and my child’s life. I also had a lot of support from my child’s father and his family which was a huge help. As I finished school and continued on in college I have had so many struggles and it has been such a tough journey, but the help from all the people in my life and my motivation has pushed me on.

All in all foster care is not the end of a child’s life. You have to make the best of your situation and make the right choices. I cannot stress enough that the CHOICES you make are the most important thing in life. Often time’s children are upset about their situation and make the wrong choices, but remember this is YOUR life and the decisions you make now will affect you in the long run. There were many times where I just wanted to give up and my life is not perfect, but I tried not to let the bad things in my life hold me back from making my life what I want it to be. Being a foster child shouldn’t limit you. I actually feel blessed to have met the people that I met in foster care and it truly has given me great opportunities.

Rosemont has helped me with my college career as well; I receive a scholarship every semester to help me out with my expenses. There are many opportunities that foster children have that they may not realize. The scholarship I receive from Rosemont is truly a blessing. I plan to graduate from college this year and start my career. I have so many more goals to accomplish and in the back of my mind I feel so proud of myself because the things I am doing are not expected from a “foster kid”. I feel like I am proving so many people wrong every day and setting positive examples for young mothers and children that have had hard childhoods. When you start to feel sorry for yourself and think about how bad you have it, think about my story and think about what steps you can make to assure that your life will be a prosperous one. No one is perfect and just like I went through my hardships in life other people are dealing with their own problems as well, so you’re not alone.

I hope my story has inspired someone thinking about giving up or feeling that they’re not good enough, because you are and if you make the right choices you WILL get where you want in your life.

Be Blessed!
Love,
Sasha Simpson