ri and his siblings were placed in foster care five times before finally leaving his substance-dependant mother. As a young child growing up in West Berkeley, Ari thought life was “an adventure” with few rules and little family structure. But later, he realized just how violent and unsafe his neighborhood was when he moved in with a foster family in Albany. Barely able to read when he started fourth grade, Ari worked hard to catch-up academically and now looks forward to attending San Francisco State University in the fall.

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