Claudia Mendez

Claudia Mendez was born in San Francisco and is currently 19 years old. Accomplishing her personal and academic goals is a big priority in Claudia’s life. She attends San Francisco State University as a full-time student, volunteers in different community based organizations and is also an EYAB member for the 2009 board. Joining EYAB has made her really happy because it is a job where she can express her commitment to making a difference not only in foster youth’s lives, but in youth lives in general. Claudia’s biggest goal is that in a few years she will be going to Law School to become a lawyer for foster youth. How she got inspired to become a lawyer was when she entered the system and got a lawyer assigned to her. Her lawyer was a great example of a committed lawyer who cared because she would constantly meet with Claudia to make sure that her needs were being heard and met. Even after Claudia’s emancipation her lawyer is still involved in her life and helps her in anything she can. This is exactly what Claudia would like to do in her career. Being older now and knowing how it feels to be mistreated, put down, abused, ignored and seen as insignificant is what makes Claudia passionate about advocating for youth because she believes that she can make a difference. To be a former foster youth has been hard because she has to deal with negative stereotypes against foster youth, but she is able to overcome them because she tries to see the positive things in life instead of always focusing on the negative ones. She knows she is really strong and is proud to be a former youth, a young Latina woman, and most importantly to be her. “I am no longer alone because I have found my family, which is my foster parents, counselors and friends. Last, but not least someone special, my own self because I am my best friend.”