Lucero and Carmen's Story
Lucero (she/her) and Carmen (she/her) have been there for each other since they were born. Having been in juvenile justice and the foster care system, the twin sisters have non-traditional pathways toward economic security and financial independence. Their contrasting experiences in the group home show how important it is to have supportive, trauma-informed adults at every touchpoint of a young person’s journey toward adulthood. The story is told from the perspective of Lucero and her daughter; it is a call to advocates and policymakers to improve young people’s access to supportive services in health, education, and housing.
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How You Can Help
To learn how you can begin to help other young parents like Lucero and Carmen, visit the Journey to Success campaign website.
Acknowledgment
Thank you, Lucero and Carmen, for graciously lending your time to share your story with us, and allowing us to take a peek at a slice of your life. Your experiences, insights, and suggestions have shaped and redefined the conversations around young parents, and we hope that this story continues to do so.
Thank you to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for funding this project, and to Journey to Success for being a partner.
Thank you to artist Tony Midi and to DALL·E for the creation of our illustrations. Lastly, thank you to those who was involved in the revision of this story and to those who helped make this story possible.
Suggested Citation
Natalie, P., Noyola, L., Noyola, C., Fishbein, J., Garrido, M., Sufrinko, N., LaBonte, K., & Cowsert, M. (2023). Young Parents Stories. Healthy Teen Network. https://www.healthyteennetwork.org/resources/young-parents-stories/lucero-carmen
