SAN ANTONIO — There may not be any better champion for South Texas foster children to succeed than Texas State Representative Josey Garcia.
"To serve as the female veteran in the Texas Legislature is an honor and dream for me given my childhood," she said. "I was impacted by the foster system and the juvenile justice system. I really thought that I would have a life of hardships, a life of incarceration, or even worse."
Thank goodness that was not the case for Representative Garcia. It was quite the opposite, in fact. She joined the Air Force which, in her own words, gave the young life stability she'd been looking for to become who she is today. She's been able to share her story from hardships to triumph as a former foster child.
"It is really helping me address my traumas of experiencing that through empowering young adults who are experiencing the same thing," she said. "Showing them that they do have worth, and that they do have value. They can be anything they want even if that is State Rep."
Garcia told us that she is living proof of what a little love and care can do for a young child exposed trauma of every sort.
"Had it not been for the good will of one of my friend's mothers who took me in and helped me join the Air Force, I wouldn't be standing here today as State Representative Garcia," she said. "It was a woman who saw in me the need for guidance and mentorship, and for that parental love."
Garcia said that all of us can the simplest things to help any child, and especially those in the welfare system, to avoid the worst possible outcomes, like being incarcerated.
"We can become somebody productive and community leaders." Garcia said.