Meet Fatuma!

My Name is Fatuma. As a 12 -year -old unaccompanied refugee minor, I entered the United States in 2015 and was placed in foster care under Catholic Community Services. Before I was adopted at the age of sixteen, I spent three years of my childhood in the foster care system. During that time I was a part of the First Star program, which supports foster youth in their pursuit of higher education. I served on the First Star National Advisory Board’s Student board, where I advocated for programmatic improvement as well as the requirements and desires of the students nationwide. 

I graduated from Murray High School in 2021, and this fall I'll be enrolled at SLCC to get my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I’m happy to be a Co-Founder for the 1999 collective.  We represent all those who have lived in the foster care system in Utah. Our goal is to create a strong foundation, supportive community, and improve access to available resources.

“You are not the Problem. You are an opportunity” is our motto.