Crystal Ramirez
Member
CYC member Crystal Ramirez from the Fresno County Chapter was thrilled to find out she’d won CYC’s 2018 Elinore Biederman Memorial Foster Youth Recognition College Scholarship. “Growing up in foster care, moving around from home to home I’d never really been recognized for anything. So to be recognized for furthering my education, which is something I never thought I could do, feels awesome.”
Crystal remembers people telling her she wouldn’t finish high school after she had her daughter. “So I always had doubts in my mind, especially because I had to miss a lot of school when I moved from foster home to foster home.”
After completing a medical assistant program in August, Crystal is attending Fresno City College. She’s not yet sure what she will major in but after meeting Assemblymember Blanca Rubio at CYC Shadow Day earlier this month, Crystal is sure it will be “something that involves helping people in a big way. “I would love to help make the foster care system better or help teen moms know they’re not alone.”
From CYC Crystal says she has learned: “It’s important to never give up on ourselves. No matter what anybody tells us, we do matter and we do have a future.”