Meet Jacob Holley | Foster Care Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacob Holley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, what do you want your legacy to be?
I think my answer differs at the different points in my life you look at. If you look at my early childhood, I wanted my legacy to be the kid that’s not forgotten about. In my teenage years, after losing someone close to me due to suicide and mental health issues, I wanted my legacy not to be defined by the trauma I had and the pain that I latched on to. Now that I am married and going after my career, I want my legacy to be filled with happiness and always helping those in need. Part of my legacy that i’ve worked on over the last couple years has been associated with the foster care system in Arizona. I hope that my legacy, when i am older, is defined by how I used my story of being in foster care to helping those overcome the challenges presented while in foster care.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career is just starting out as I am approaching my junior year in my bachelors of human services program and have been a foster care advocate in the community for a little over a year. I think what sets me apart is my lived experience in the foster care system and having a deeper level of understanding for what youth in foster care might be going through. I was in foster care for five and a half years and totaling 27 different placements overall. I use my lived experience and colleagues in human services or non profit agencies that work with foster youth to help raise awareness for what the youth might be going through. The thing I am most proud of is my journey from being in foster care to being homeless during the Covid 19 pandemic to finding my true love and starting to pursue my career. I am very excited for what 2024 has to offer as I have been given an opportunity through the Arizona Adverse Childhood Experiences Consortium to attend their trainer of trainers program on trauma informed care. It was not easy by any means. There were a lot of hard times and emotional breakdowns but because of how I’ve overcome abuse, neglect, and mental health issues, i’ve stayed true to myself to overcome those obstacles.

Since I am just starting out, I am still learning a lot of different lessons.

I think one take away from my story is trauma does not define you. I am an example of how you can gain strength through adversity and how you can overcome life being thrown at you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite activities to do is to go bowling. My favorite place to go bowling is Rim County Bowl in Payson, AZ. This place has a special meaning as it is the place where my wife has beaten me, even on our honeymoon. As for restaurants in the valley, for barbecue food I would take my best friend to Hog Wild Barbecue in Phoenix, AZ. Their barbecue is some of the best that I have ever had. Hog Wild, in ,my opinion, beats out valley restaurants like Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. One of the best pizza joints that I always frequent when I have the chance is Slices Pizzeria in Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix, AZ. I’ve been going there since I was eight years old. If I am craving pizza, that is where I go. Other places on my itinerary would include Uptown Alley, which is a bowling alley, arcade, and billiards. We might do some claw machine, laser tag, or even a couple billiard games while enjoying some fresh food from Red Embers Bar and Grill. Outside of these places, I would want to visit a restaurant called Arrogant Butcher located in the heart of downtown Phoenix.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

The person that I choose to recognize is Rebekah Scott(Ziegler). She was my last case worker for while I was in foster care. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve talked with her about her perspective back then and, to me, this pairing was divine intervention. I was 15, trying to start my life over, looking at a brand new group home as a new opportunity for personal growth, where I met a fresh off the training line as my case worker. She treated me with the utmost respect and dignity while listening and addressing my concerns and wishes. This was the first instance in my childhood where I felt like an adult actually cared about me as an individual. This started with her asking me questions such as did I want to go to college? did I have a career in mind? have you ever joined a sport or club in high school? And the question that had the most impact: what did I want in life? I remember sitting on my twin bed at the group home, thinking that I’ve never been asked these questions before. She doesn’t see me as a case number, she actually cares. Fast forward to January 2021, I just finished my GED and I knew that I could call Rebekah and ask her for advice on choosing a college and a major. During the 45 minute conversation, she made a quippy remark of “why don’t you use your story to help other foster youth that might be going through similar situations as you once did?” Right then and there, it clicked like i had found my purpose in life. Because of her influence, I am now a youth board member with Fostering Advocates of Arizona, a guest speaker with Child Crisis Arizona, and a foster care advocate.

Instagram: instagram.com/cajuncowboy99

Other: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kbhzTyyQ74qsIe3buaadR?si=PZZnl2p5RnaxOQMv0EQ7LQ

Image Credits
Jacob Holley