Amanda Piercy has never known stability, until now. As a young girl, she moved back and forth between her mother and father and finally ended up in foster care. By the age of 17, Amanda had moved approximately 25 times up and down the west coast. She experienced physical abuse and abandonment and the only person she could depend on was herself. She earned money picking up cans to buy food and rarely went to school.

She didn't learn to read until the age of 11 years old, when she wandered into a public library and asked the librarian to teach her how to read. A natural student, Amanda worked hard to catch up and eventually found her way to San Francisco. While attending Balboa High School, her biology teacher learned of her family situation and took her in. Amanda is an Incentive Award Scholar and will attend U.C. Berkeley.

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