“But Errol, you made it!” This is a statement I regularly hear from friends and people who learn of my story. This sentiment is not unique to me; it’s common for other former foster youth who seem to have escaped their situations and now lead what appears to be a normal life.
I recognize that I have journeyed beyond what many see as amazing, even miraculous. I’ve achieved most of my goals and experienced things beyond young Errol’s wildest dreams. But it wasn’t supposed to be like this… I became multi-talented (with survivor’s guilt) out of necessity, and the inability to see beyond my circumstances.
At the age of 9, I was determined to become a neurosurgeon. I loved the brain, its operations, and how it works. The connection between the brain and electricity fascinated me. I expressed my interest to those around me but received little feedback or encouragement. As a young Black boy in Chicago, moving through neighborhoods and foster homes where careers like these seemed unattainable, I was, instead, convinced that I wouldn’t live to see my high school graduation.
Fortunately, I learned early on to pay attention to the small, odd, and new things that came into my life. One of these was a Saturday computer repair class offered by my high school accounting teacher. This changed my world, allowing me to “operate” on the brains of a computer. Little did I know, it would dictate the rest of my life.
I am excited to begin this new phase of sharing my story, with the hope of inspiring and empowering both current and former foster youth. Community support can help me highlight my experiences as an engineer and create life-changing programs. If you have ideas or platforms to amplify my message, let’s connect.
