Who Is Starr? Student Spotlight from AcademySTAY

Some people find strength in movement. Starr found hers in stillness—reflecting, resetting, and refusing to be defined by her past.

Starr is a student, a poet, a prom princess, and a young woman learning to build a life she’s never seen modeled. She’s working toward stability, independence, and a future she can be proud of. And like many students at AcademySTAY, she didn’t get here by following a traditional path.

Before moving into AcademySTAY, Starr’s days were filled with long work shifts and late-night poetry readings. Her nights were often spent in her car or at a 24-hour gym. She used the showers at Planet Fitness. She went to work. She went to class. She performed spoken word at open mics in Sacramento and Stockton. And she did it all while trying to pretend things were okay.

“I was helping people maintain housing when I didn’t have it myself,” she said. “People would come up to me after a conference and tell me I was inspiring. And I wouldn’t have anywhere to sleep that night.”

Like many young people who age out of foster care, Starr didn’t have a safety net. She had moments of support: mentors, friends, and kind people who showed up, but no consistent place to land. By the time she found AcademySTAY, she was tired of trying to survive on charm and resilience. She wanted a chance to focus on the future.

“I’ve been more present. I’ve been able to maintain a job, regain stability in life with AcademySTAY, and go to school.”

Now enrolled in college, Starr is considering a career in business or communications. She’s thinking about public speaking, marketing, maybe even a creative career that blends advocacy and art. Like most 20-somethings, she’s still figuring it out, but for the first time, she’s figuring it out from a place of safety.

Poetry has been a lifeline through it all. When asked what people might not know about her, Starr said, “I deal with a lot of depressive episodes. Poetry helps me channel that. There’s Starr, and then there’s the artist.”

“I thought I was a product of my environment until I decided to change the narrative.” - Starr, 23

This isn’t just where she lives. It’s where she claimed her story.

When you listen to her story, you hear someone who is self-aware, perceptive, and fiercely honest. Someone who has learned through experience, not cliché...that survival is its own kind of success.

“I survived in a world that wasn’t meant for me to survive.”

Why We’re Sharing This

Starr is not the exception. She’s the reality for many students we serve. Youth who grew up in foster care. Youth who’ve faced housing instability. Youth who are incredibly capable but often unsupported.

At AcademySTAY, we provide more than housing. We offer space for healing, structure for rebuilding, and a community that believes in each student’s potential. Starr is one of many young adults who are taking their next step here, with us.

We’re honored to be part of her story.