Tracey Onyenacho

2 weeks ago | imprintnews.org | Tracey Onyenacho

May is National Foster Care Month. For my family, it’s also the month that senselessly added yet another layer of trauma to our daughter’s story. On May 12, 2020, my heart dropped when “Department of Child and Family Services” appeared on my caller ID. We had finalized adoption just months earlier. My first thought was, “They are calling to say they made a mistake and this adoption isn’t real.” I answered with enormous trepidation.

1 month ago | imprintnews.org | Tracey Onyenacho |Lakievia Johnson

Going into the foster care system is not a childhood memory I am proud of. When I was 11, I was asked about entering a foster home with my siblings because our single mother was given six months to live due to complications with HIV/AIDS. I remember telling the caseworker, “Me and my sister don’t get along.” Because I was initially given a choice about whether to live with my two younger siblings, going into foster care provided me with an opportunity to choose my family.

Dec 20, 2024 | imprintnews.org | Tracey Onyenacho

I’ve always loved the idea of love, and I’ve always loved deeply in every situation I’ve been in. When I entered into my eight-year marriage, I thought our love would grow consistently until we were overflowing with closeness and depth. Not too soon after entering the relationship, though, I had accepted that romantic love simply wasn’t in the cards for me. From the insults to the physical abuse, and everything in between, I was miserable more often than I was content.

Sep 25, 2024 | imprintnews.org | Tracey Onyenacho

The Independent Living Program (ILP) offers financial assistance services and additional support to current and former foster youth/probation youth, from 16-20 years old. ILP in Los Angeles County cuts off services for foster youth on their 21st birthday, an age where life is about to get even more confusing and an unpredictable time is about to start. ILP has been a huge part of my journey since I was just a sophomore in high school.

Jan 2, 2024 | teenvogue.com | Tracey Onyenacho

As a writer and musician struggling to make ends' meet at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maddy Clifford knew the push back to “normal” – and end of the student loan payment pause – meant she would have to face the $120,000 waiting for her. This led her to question the purpose of student debt and its role in inhibiting people’s survival.