Stories of Unleashed Potential
Valerie Morrison
Born in Ukraine, Valerie Morrison spent her early childhood in an orphanage in Bila Tserkva. She grew up surrounded by uncertainty and the invisible dynamics of survival, identity, and belonging. At age 11, she was adopted and began the difficult process of building a new life while carrying experiences few children should have to endure.
Opportunity gave Valerie more than a change in circumstances. It gave her the space to discover her curiosity, creativity, and voice. As she worked through the effects of complex PTSD, she began turning her experiences into a source of understanding rather than allowing them to define the limits of her future.
Today, Valerie is a user experience designer and writer. She uses empathy and careful observation to understand people, solve problems, and create more thoughtful human experiences. Through her writing, she transforms memories of survival into stories of healing, identity, and hope, offering something steady and honest to others walking their own path.
Valerie’s journey reminds us that when young people are given safety, opportunity, and room to express themselves, the experiences that once isolated them can become a powerful bridge to others.
Jayashri Triolo
Jayashri Triolo was separated from her family when she was very young. During a childhood marked by loss and disconnection, she found refuge in art. Creating became a safe place, a way to preserve memory, explore meaning, and express what words could not always hold.
That early creative spark grew when Jayashri was given the opportunity to pursue a formal education in fine art. She later served in the National Guard, developing the discipline and strength that would complement her life as an artist. Rather than allowing separation to erase her sense of identity, she began using art to reconnect the pieces of her story.
Today, Jayashri is a mixed-media artist and the founder of Kavacha Designs. Her handcrafted heirlooms bring together personal memory, sacred design, storytelling, tradition, and devotion. Her work transforms experiences of loss into objects that help other people celebrate connection and belonging.
Jayashri’s life demonstrates how access to creative expression can do more than reveal talent. It can help a young person reclaim their story and eventually create beauty that carries meaning across generations.
Will Bucquoy
Will Bucquoy grew up in foster care, where instability made it difficult to know whom to trust or where he truly belonged. Like many young people moving through the system, he had to develop resilience before he had the security and guidance needed to understand what that strength could become.
Mentorship, creative risk, and photography helped Will rebuild trust and rediscover a sense of purpose. Behind a camera, he found a way to slow down, notice people, and reveal the meaningful details in everyday life. Creativity became both a craft and a pathway toward connection.
Today, Will is an accomplished Bay Area photographer with more than a decade of experience. He has photographed families, musicians, actors, public figures, businesses, and community events. His work creates the smiles, tears, and speechless moments that happen when people feel genuinely seen.
Will’s story shows what becomes possible when a young person receives not only encouragement, but also the freedom to experiment, take thoughtful risks, and turn creativity into a meaningful life.
Lisa Arnett
Lisa Arnett entered foster care as a small child and spent her youth moving through dozens of homes. She endured separation from her siblings, abuse, exploitation, and systems that offered little stability or protection. After aging out of care, she experienced homelessness at 18.
The opportunity to serve in the United States military helped Lisa find structure, discipline, and a new sense of direction. She became a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew chief and transformed the survival skills she developed as a child into leadership, courage, and service.
Today, Lisa is a U.S. Army veteran, public speaker, and nationally recognized foster-youth advocate. She works with nonprofits, schools, and advocacy organizations to strengthen support for young people in foster care and those aging out of the system. Her work also advances trafficking prevention, homelessness awareness, and recovery from abuse.
Lisa now uses the experiences that once made her vulnerable to help protect and empower others. Her journey is proof that lived experience, when matched with stability and opportunity, can become a force for systemic change.
Justus Uwayesu
Justus Uwayesu lost his parents during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. As a young child, he lived in Red Cross orphanages alongside thousands of other children who had lost their families and homes.
After leaving the orphanage, Justus and his siblings faced hunger, abandonment, and profound instability. He eventually made his way to Kigali, where he spent approximately a year and a half living in a garbage dump and searching for food. His daily life was defined by survival, even though his capacity to learn, lead, and contribute had never disappeared.
Education created a different path. When Justus gained access to a safe learning environment and people willing to invest in his future, his intelligence and determination finally had room to flourish. Opportunity did not give him potential. It allowed the potential already within him to emerge.
Today, Justus works in international development and impact investing, helping direct resources toward companies that improve communities and protect the planet. A child once left to search for survival now helps determine where resources can create meaningful change.
His story embodies a powerful truth: a young person’s circumstances may conceal their gifts, but they do not diminish them. When resilience is met with education, mentorship, and belonging, potential can become global impact.