Precious Price’s early years were tough. She was born to a single mother, the fourth of six children. “I grew up in and out of foster care placements.” At 12, she was placed in foster care until she aged out at 22. “I ended up in several different placements while in care, but remained in a college readiness program called ConnCAP, which helped me to remain focused in school.” Precious made the honor roll in high school and was very active in DCF and her school community. She spoke at DCF forums whenever she got the chance and acted in her high school plays as an outlet to vent and to explore her own creativity. After high school, Precious attended Bay Path College where she had the opportunity to travel and perform community service all over the country while learning extensively about African American history. “All of these experiences helped shape my mission in life: to help others, so that they don’t have the same experiences that I’ve had.” Precious will graduate in May with her Master’s Degree in Social Work and hopes to eventually pursue her PhD.
Precious is one of twelve applicants from across the US to have been accepted into the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s Foster Youth Internship Program (CCAI FYI). This summer, after earning her MSW, Precious will intern on Capitol Hill with a member of Congress, writing policy around issues of foster care. Precious follows in the footsteps of, Khaliyl Lane MSW ’13, who was selected for the same program three years earlier and interned with Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The mission of CCAI’s FYI Program is to engage Members of Congress in reforming the U.S. foster care system by linking them with a foster care alumni whose firsthand experience can serve as a road map for reform. As part of the program, CCAI facilitates the production of an annual policy related report, created by the FYI interns and released at a Congressional Briefing hosted by the FYI interns. This unique report represents the combination of a lifetime of experience with nine weeks of intense policy related research and is intended to be used as a resource for Members of Congress and advocates across the country working to address policy barriers. FYI interns are selected because they display both the interest and skill necessary to become an effective advocate for change. The program is uniquely designed to develop and strengthen these advocacy skills as well as provide opportunities to pursue a career in federal policy after graduation. FYI interns are given an inside look at the federal legislative process and an opportunity to play an active role in developing federal policy. FYI interns have found this experience to be invaluable to their efforts to secure jobs after college.
