17
ELLA
Returning to work was tough. East showed me a life that I could easily get used to. At a young age I recognized the difference between poor and poor. In all of the foster families I’d been with, the parents worked. Some harder than others. Some had foster kids solely for the money. I was one of the ways they’d earned a living.
I knew early on I needed to rise above that. To rely on myself in all things, including money. A middle school English teacher told me I could be anything I wanted if I put my mind on my studies. Mrs. Torrez had said that being smart was what got someone ahead. I never forgot her or her words and encouragement. So instead of thinking about how miserable I was, I studied, because no one could take what I learned from me.
I had goals. I wanted a home of my
