Graduation was the visible milestone.

Aging out was the quiet shift no one applauds.

In this final chapter of my foster care story, I share what it felt like when the system stepped back and adulthood stepped in. No ceremony. No countdown. Just a case file closing and the realization that I was now fully responsible for my life.

From navigating independence in my first apartment to learning hard lessons about support, safety, and information I didn’t have, this episode holds the quieter emotions that followed the cap and gown.

There is freedom in aging out.

But there is also loneliness. There is pride. But there is also disorientation.

Because sometimes the hardest transitions are not the loud ones.

They are the ones that happen when the door closes behind you and you realize it is up to you to build what comes next.

If you would like to submit a question for the upcoming Q&A episodes, you can send it in a few different ways: 

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