By LearnServe International

Last week, we offered a glimpse into LearnServe International, which guides students through the creation of their own “social venture” and empowers them to make a difference.

This week: meet Khadijah Wilson, a student at Luke C. Moore Academy. She is a phenomenal artist, a LearnServe Fellow, and a child in the foster care system.

Over the two years that she has been in foster care, Khadijah has become an outspoken advocate for other foster children. Through LearnServe International, Khadijah has launched “Foster Teen Expression,” an initiative to help other foster teens cope with the past and present trauma through artistic expression.

Khadijah herself is a visual artist, but she has teamed up with poets, musicians, and photographers to bring her mission to life. To give you a sense of the person she is, here’s an excerpt from the business plan she prepared, through the LearnServe Fellows Program, for Foster Teen Expression:

“My venture always keeps me motivated, because I endure the struggles and hardship of CFSA [DC’s Child and Family Services Agency]. I cannot emancipate out of care and go to college without coming to a resolution to this growing epidemic of youth not succeeding in life. I feel as though I am obligated to use my talent as an artist to speak for the forgotten, defeated, and unheard youth of CFSA.”

Khadijah pitched her venture idea to a panel of community leaders at the third annual LearnServe Panels and Venture Fair on Thursday, April 12. Next month she will receive a matching seed grant of up to $250 to get her venture off the ground.

Khadijah Wilson puts the finishing touches on her venture plan: