Donetia Meshack entered foster care when she was 11 months old. She was in care for 17 years, where she transitioned through many homes and had only intermittent contact with her birth family. Between elementary school and graduation from high school, Donetia attended seven different schools. Despite the instability that she faced, Donetia loved to learn, and she went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree from SMU and a Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School. After law school, Donetia worked as a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles and operated a private practice as a criminal defense lawyer. She also worked for twenty years as a municipal governmental employee. She is now a self-published author, and she is currently pursuing a certification as a Youth Peer Support Specialist from Loyola Marymount University.

In this podcast, Donetia describes her time in foster care and the “umbilical love” that connects her to her biological family, despite the hardship and trauma they have endured. Donetia shares about the community and support she found as she navigated the challenges that came with foster care, and she offers insight about the way community allowed her to realize her untapped potential.

“We are more than our circumstances. We are more than our fractured families. We are more than our missed marks. We are more than the unwise decisions we have made. We are more than our setbacks. We are works in progress, and we have everything that we need to prove that we’re more than our circumstances… Curiosity, imagination, and creativity. Those three things allow us to face the separation, severance, and loss with the mindset that we’re built for this. We will overcome our adversities, and we will show up as we’re meant to be—a gift to the world.”

If you are a former foster child who aged out of the system and want to share your story, email us at [email protected]! You deserve to be heard.

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Credits:

§  Interviewee: Donetia Meshack 

§  Interviewers: Madeleine Nelson and Lauren Restino

§  Editor: Soheil Abdmousavi

§  Editing Team: Madeleine Nelson and Lauren Restino

§  Music Credit:

o   Nostalgia by Tobu https://soundcloud.com/7obu

o   Music Promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/03Aky9bhOMU

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SMU or the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation.