“I firmly believe that true expertise lies within one’s own experience. Thus, people with first-hand experience should be at the forefront of policy reform.”
‘People with First-Hand Experience Should be at the Forefront of Policy Reform’
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About the Author
Shay House
Shay House spent 19 of her 25 years of life in the Alameda County foster care system living in upward of 53 different placements. House graduated from Mills College in Oakland, California (hometown) with a bachelor's degree in politics and urban inequalities. Currently, House is in the last year of a master's in public policy program at American University. House chose to pursue a master's degree in public policy because she is passionate about the reform of the child welfare system, specifically the placement and educational instability foster youth experience throughout their time in care. Shay's professional aspiration is to establish a youth-centered approach to implementing policies to provide foster youth with resources to live successful and healthy lives. House has brought her lived and educational experience to the professional realm through five years of child welfare advocacy.