NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A local teen is sharing her story of aging out of the foster care system. It's a responsibility she's taking very seriously, and her story's being shared in a way she never expected.
18-year-old Ella Bat-Ami prepared to speak in front of a room at Belmont University.
Ella was a teen when she entered the foster care system and said a lot of people don't understand what foster youth go through, transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Who can help navigate getting a job or finding a place to live?
"[It] is incredibly difficult when I didn't know if I had legal documents to prove I existed," Ella said. "The answer is, spoiler alert, I didn't. I didn't."
"I was just abruptly thrown, cold plunged into adulthood," Ella said, speaking to the crowd at Belmont. "If I didn't figure out what to do, I'd be facing homelessness. We truly are defined by resilience. Moving home to home, being told you are unwanted, any person who makes it out of that has persevered, is resilient."
"We are not just our trauma," Ella continued, talking to me after her speech. "We can be so much more than that."
This year, Ella worked with lawmakers on Senate Bill No. 1015, House Bill No. 1359. The bill guaranteed foster children the right to things like safe housing and medical care.
"I wrote the Foster Youth Bill of Rights!" Ella said.
Today she lives on Belmont's campus as a freshman and is part of a council at Belmont Innovation Labs. They're partnered with the governor's office in finding solutions to problems faced by foster children aging out of the system.
It's through Belmont that Ella met artist Wayne Brezinka. Wayne was commissioned by Belmont to create a piece representing these new efforts by listening to the stories of former foster youth including Ella.
Wayne's now-completed piece includes photos and other items submitted by the former foster youth. Also included was something of Ella's, a copy of her bill which is now law.
"I found it very important to get a copy of it to show it off in the art piece and make it prevalent," Wayne said. "[The piece will] tour the state of Tennessee. It will spend some time at the governor's office."
The piece is also now somewhere else. The image is currently being showcased on The Nashville Sign downtown.
Being a part of this is something so unexpected for Ella.
"I didn't know that was on my bucket list!" she laughed. "But I wrote it on and then immediately checked it off! I don't necessarily care to share my story, but I do it because there are kids in custody who cannot and are suffering. I don't think there's a way in this world I'm not outspoken in this field."
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
