As a young girl, Ebony dreamed of a career in music. Her father was a musician in New York, and told her she could perform with his group when she grew older. But Ebony's dream of working in music was derailed in her early teens when her family fell on hard times and she was put into the foster care system. "When I came into care, I was suddenly living with people I never saw before and not being able to be around my own family -- it all kind of killed my spirit," she said.

For several years Emily struggled as she lived with a family that wasn't equipped to give her opportunities. Much of Emily's time was devoted to helping her foster mother care for other children in the family. Academics took a back seat, and she wondered what kind of future she would have after she aged out of foster care when she turned 18.

It was toward the end of her stint in foster care when Ebony's social worker referred her to a Youth Advocacy Center class called Getting Beyond the System: Self-Advocacy Seminar. Despite struggling early on in the program, Emily gained confidence, and eventually began participating in earnest. The lively discussions had given her a new sense of hope about her future.

Toward the end of the class, YAC helped Emily connect with a man named Tony Drootin, Director of Audio Operations at Sony Music. Along with explaining to Emily what it was like to work in the music industry, he told her about internships and other steps she could take to make her dream a reality. Emily went back to her class to talk about the experience with everyone. "He gave me steps to take so that I wouldn't jump in head first," she said to her classmates." He also told me to keep going school, even though I was not planning on college."

With the YAC seminar under her belt, Emily set her sights on the college application process. Before long, she was admitted to York College in Brooklyn, where she's currently studying business and music technology. Emily credits YAC with helping her to get on the right track. "I didn't know how to get started with my dream. Not until I got to YAC. Now I will graduate with a degree in business and contacts in the industry. I know I'm able to overcome my past and start a great future."