Jai: Making Dreams a Reality

Aged Out: The Stories that Built Us - A podcast by SMU Child Advocacy Clinic

Born to two non-citizens, Jai McClean decided to stay back in the United States so that she could complete her high school career to fulfill her lifelong goal to someday attend college—even if that meant entering the foster care system to get it done. “I don’t know where these aspirations came from, but I just knew that they were there and I wanted to make that happen.” But Jai’s upcoming graduation with a microbiology degree in June of 2023 did not come without hardship—follow along with the Aged Out podcast to listen in on her admittedly scary yet rewarding experience in the foster care system, through which her relationship with her biological mother and siblings transformed, her faith was strengthened, and her educational ambitions were achieved. If you are a former foster child who aged out of the system and want to share your story, email us at [email protected]. You deserve to be heard. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram! Credits: Interviewee: Jaimecca McClean Interviewers: Riley Wilson & Cameron Jones  Editor: Soheil Abdmousavi