Home. A curious word. The word conjures up happy memories for some people during childhood and for others, memory serves as a painful reminder of childhood. Like beautiful leaves in the wind, foster children become displaced from their roots—often never knowing their family histories. CEO Grace Yung Foster is a successful business owner and visionary. She is the founder of the Inclusion Initiative—a company that is breaking barriers and offering former foster children (now adults) ways to connect to people with similar backgrounds. The platform offers professional individuals opportunities to advance their careers socially, culturally, and economically. Mrs. Foster is an itinerant example of how to navigate oneself through the chaos of foster care. Hers is a story of survival, success, and inspiration.

Can you share your story?

In early childhood, I was abandoned in a market. I was placed into a circumstance most people have never experienced. I do not have any knowledge of where my birth family comes from. I am not even aware of my own birthday—or the name I was given at birth. When I was processed at a South Korean police station, they gave me the approximate age of three. From the age of three to five, I was placed in various orphanages in Korea. I was adopted by a family in America. Unfortunately, after a few years, I was out to another house of which I was the thirteenth kid—the twentieth by the time I left. This is where I stayed until college.

How did you discover your authentic self?

Discovering yourself is a lifelong journey— you are never done. People change and evolve as life takes you on a journey. I think if you are a person that cares about being the best version of yourself, you will change and grow. As someone that was in the foster system, someone who experienced multiple home placements, my authenticity had been whatever the family wanted me to be. When I went into undergrad, I began to feel more autonomous. I graduated from NYU with an MBA. I learned I had value beyond my difficult childhood. I am a proud Asian American.

Where is a foster child’s true home?

Here in the U.S., there are over 15 million people who are adoptees and fosters. Finding your true home is understanding who you are as a person. Once you understand this, then you are home. You begin to understand where you belong because you are being honest with yourself. I am not speaking for all adoptees, but, for me, finding home was being proud of myself. I have been married for ten years: This is home. A true sense of authenticity came with embracing the authentic parts of myself.

Finding true home was finding myself— and I became home to myself. Both my family and this platform I have created for adoptees are where I belong. None of this would be possible had I not gone on the journey of “intentionally” finding myself—and who I want to be—and how I wanted to show up in the world. 

What is the Inclusion Initiative?

The Inclusion Initiative is a platform that is elevating adoptees and fosters in the workspace. We are a network of professionals who have similar lived experience. It is a specialized professional community where people that share our background can find each other for the first time in a professional setting. An intentional community like this has not existed before. Abandoned individuals have a difficult time navigating through the world because they are alone. Career opportunities do not come easy in such cases. When someone joins our network, they have all these people at your fingertips that share your lived experience. 

These people are accomplished professionals in their sectors. There is a rich network of people. Here you have access to build mentor relationships and career sponsorships. One arm of the Inclusion Initiative is the network piece, and then the career piece—network advancements. The last part of what our organization does is shift society’s perspective on how we engage and include others into a broader conversation. 

Do you have a message for abandoned children?

Youths that have had experience like mine, I would say that they need to learn that they are valuable. Learn that you have intrinsic value. You are valuable beyond your sense of abandonment. People need to hear that they are valued. It will be hard, but you will get through the vicissitudes.

Jason Waddle | Contributing Writer