Aaron Bianco – Proud, and Rightly So
At 29, Aaron Bianco is the very picture of success: a corporate lawyer in Chicago, married and with an undergraduate degree from Princeton. You would be hard pressed to discover that he was removed from his mother’s home at the age of 10, spending the rest of his childhood in foster care in Richmond, California. Luckily, his eight years in foster care were spent in one placement and he was supported by a teacher, a coach, an aunt and a high school guidance counselor. He says being admitted to Princeton wasn’t as difficult as adjusting to life there. “First, you have to realize you’re equal to everyone else, and that it’s not your fault that you were in foster care,” Aaron says. “You have to find something you’re passionate about.”
Aaron received a FC2S scholarship application from a local independent living skills program prior to attending Princeton, and was delighted to receive the scholarship. He was also brought to Washington by FC2S to testify before a Congressional panel about the need for additional funding for former foster youth. “It was very rewarding and gave me a sense of accomplishment,” Aaron recalls proudly. Today he sounds happy with both his journey and his place in life, and offers advice to others currently aging out of foster care: “Don’t discount yourself. Don’t accept what anyone else says about you. Love and believe in yourself.”