Trump Order Aids Foster Youth, CEO Shares Story

A new executive order signed by President Donald Trump aims to significantly improve the lives of young people in and aging out of the foster care system. Spearheaded by First Lady Melania Trump, the ‘Fostering the Future’ initiative focuses on leveraging federal support, technology, and private partnerships to equip these youth with the tools needed for successful adulthood. Tech CEO Sixto Cancel, who has firsthand experience with the foster care system, shares his personal story and explains why this order is so critical.

A Personal Journey Through Foster Care

Sixto Cancel, CEO of Think of Us, a company dedicated to improving the foster care system, played a key advisory role in shaping the executive order. His own life journey, marked by time in and out of foster care, underscores the profound impact such initiatives can have. Cancel entered foster care at 11 months old, experienced an abusive adoption at age 9, and found himself couch surfing at 13.

He described the constant instability, including open and closed child protective services cases, and the challenges of living in a neighborhood plagued by poverty and gang violence. “When you live in those conditions, you kind of always wonder, will you ever get out of the hood?” Cancel shared. “And then when you live in foster care, and you know you’re going to age out—it’s not like you’re getting adopted or you’re going to find some family member to go to.”

The Power of Support Programs

Cancel credits a program called the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative as his saving grace. This program provided him with essential life skills, including financial literacy, and offered a work-to-learn opportunity that helped him save money. With a matched savings account, he entered college with a car and a deposit for his apartment, a level of stability many foster youth lack.

He emphasizes that the collaboration between state and federal funding, which the new executive order aims to scale, is crucial. This kind of support can significantly improve access to education, employment, and housing for youth aging out of the system, particularly for Black foster youth who are disproportionately represented.

Gratitude for Centering Youth Voices

Cancel expressed particular gratitude towards First Lady Melania Trump for her dedication to the ‘Be Best’ initiative and for centering the voices of youth with lived experience. He noted her consistent efforts to advance the well-being of children and youth, stating, “It feels like almost every month, she is doing something that is pushing the ball forward for the children and youth… It’s only driven by what’s right for children.”