Hi, my name is Darzell Burgess. I'm 22 years old and was born in Queens, New York. I am currently attending LaGuardia Community College, majoring in computer science. My college experience has taught me so much, from time management to communication skills. The overall experiences in my life pushed me to become an advocate for foster youth. Advocating for the support of current and former youth in care will help not only those in the system but society as a whole. I believe it's important to provide current and former youth in care a long-term sense of family and community. Although I'm currently pursuing an associate's degree, I'm most concerned with those formerly in foster care getting support while they pursue a master's or PhD program. With a housing crisis currently happening, another policy issue I'm also concerned about is ensuring youth exiting foster care have adequate housing supports in place to facilitate a smoother transition. I believe advocating for foster youth is the first step in the right direction to ensure a better future for us all.