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Education Week •

I Lived Off Off School Lunches as a Kid. Here’s How to Make the Program Better

Growing up in poverty in the projects of the Watts projects of Los Angeles, I was dependent on free and reduced-price school lunches. Today, I am a foodie, someone who plans vacations around the food and not the destination because of the experiences of my childhood.

Like my taste palate, my life has been molded by both the good and bad I experienced growing up in poverty and with food insecurity, never being adopted, and emancipating from foster care.

Food insecurity defined my childhood. I l
The Imprint •

Four Things Every Foster Youth Should Know Before College

Many people who work with the child welfare system know that only three percent of foster youth graduate from college. This means that, despite the number of youth who enroll, most do not finish.

Since exiting foster care I have graduated from Santa Monica Community College and California State University, Northridge, and I will enter my first year at the University of Southern California as a graduate student in social work this fall.

Graduating college is not easy, but I’m going to share my
KPCC - NPR News for Southern California - 89.3 FM •

How educators can help homeless and foster youth overcome instability

A team of local educators has won a $10 million grant to start a school serving foster and homeless youth in Los Angeles.

The money comes from Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, as part of a competition she funded, "XQ: The Super School Project."

The school, called RISE, will launch with the aim of helping a population that is often challenged with the instability of frequent moves.

Take Two’s Deepa Fernandes spoke with Shari Walker, a former foster youth, to und
Los Angeles Playwrights Initiative •

Shari Walker – LAFPI

We know that when there is cultural and racial equality in theatre, it makes room for artists of all walks of life to contribute to the history of theatre. It is vital that we make room, make way for women from all backgrounds to have a chance to have their voices included in the future of theatre. It is my delight to introduce the yummy yummy Shari Walker! Shari continues to defy stereotypes and expectations. A #HFF19 Scholarship recipient, Shari states, “SUGARFREE FOSTER CARE combines the diff
The Imprint •

Rain Upon My Spirit: The Power of a Careless Remark

I am 25 years old, and still learning what it means to thrive versus simply survive after transitioning out of the foster care system.

At a recent foster care event, I scanned the room from where I sat, watching the various child welfare and juvenile justice leaders, social workers, probation officers and foster youth in attendance.

I was the keynote speaker for the event, and knew that, regardless of my past, I had become a woman who had lived the testimony of resilience. I felt confident, st
Alliance for Children's Rights •

Community Voices: Shari Walker

This month we are featuring a range of voices from our community of outstanding young leaders who have experienced foster care firsthand. Recently, DCFS announced the search for a new director, and our young leaders have offered their thoughts on the qualities and concerns that they hope will factor into the hiring process.

Shari Walker is a journalist, office manager at Fostering Media Connections, member of the Opportunity Youth Collaborative Young Leaders, and former Human Service Aid at DCF

About Me

I am a writer and internal communications intern based in Los Angeles, CA. You can follow me on social media with the links below.