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Twenty
years ago, Jessica Ambroz was bouncing from homeless shelter to homeless
shelter, living on the streets with a mentally ill mother. She was eventually placed in a series
of foster homes. But despite this chaos, Ambroz always managed to do well in school.
The Los Angeles County social worker earned a B.A. in Child Psychology and a minor in
Spanish, which she speaks fluently. She completed her master's
degree from USC in May and is now pursuing her LCSW. |
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Ambroz
specializes in Voluntary Family Maintenance. She has a caseload of
26, but takes
the time to nurture every child and accompanying a child to school, providing
beds, or even
getting bus passes, if necessary.
In March, Ambroz ran the Los Angeles Marathon and raised money for the DCFS
Children's
Trust Fund. She dedicated each mile to the families she works with.
Ambroz continues
to be an inspiration and mentor by speaking to former foster youth and telling them they
can
succeed.
"Foster kids need to see foster kids being successful," she said.
Recently,
Ambroz was one of eight "Foster Care Heroes" honored by the
County and the
community for
overcoming adversity and devoting her life to helping children in need.