Taylor Westfall

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I have been swimming in the ocean for as long as I can remember, and while I have a healthy
respect for its immense power, I do not fear it. I live in awe of the ocean, of how every wave alters its
totality. Gentle waves may only impact one grain of sand, while harsher waves can transform an entire
region. Life is a constant succession of waves: small and large, mild and ferocious; but its the most
turbulent waves that have the ability to impact our lives. When my parents decided to adopt my younger
brother from the foster care system two years ago, one such wave crashed over my life. This decision to
adopt not only transformed my life by providing me with an amazing younger brother, David, but also
became my most rewarding experience by shaping my ambition to pursue a legal career.
Davids mother was nineteen years old when she gave birth to him. He was her fifth biological
child and was removed from her care at just eighteen months old. On two separate occasions, David was
found wandering their apartment complex pool in only a soiled diaper, sunburned and unsupervised. His
mother was found, in both instances, passed out in her apartment three hundred yards away. The first time
David was found, his mother received a warning and a subsequent referral to the Department of Children
and Families. The second time, a mere 24 hours after the first instance, David was removed from her care
and his mother was arrested.
For three years, my brother remained in foster care while his biological mother was given
continuous opportunities to earn back custody. During that time period, she never showed up for any
arranged visits, required drug screenings, parenting classes, or hearings. Once her parental rights were
terminated, David was put up for adoption and, shortly thereafter, became a member of my family. The
effects of long-term foster care quickly revealed themselves. When David first came to live with us, he
craved attention yet was resistant to forming new relationships. Like most former foster children, he was
working on an individualized education plan, was several levels behind in reading and vocabulary, and his
social skills were those of a much younger child. Upon his arrival, my family began the journey to help
him become a happy, well-adjusted child; to seek his fullest potential.

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It is children like David, regrettably, that often become victims of the very system that was
established to protect them. In the realm of dependency law, the individual policies and regulations appear
to make sense; but when applied collectively, they can lead to children becoming mired in an endless
cycle of court proceedings waiting for a family. Seeing this, I was compelled to transform myself into a
voice for children. I started mentoring foster care children, voicing their concerns, and advocating for
them in family court proceedings. This advocacy developed a passion in me that none of my classes had
managed to even slightly rouse. Having witnessed and experienced the systems flaws, first hand, I began
to realize that any meaningful change would have to stem from a change in policy.
Determined to help bring about that change, I decided to get involved with Community
Partnership for Children (CPC), a non-profit organization, contracted by the state, which is legally
responsible for every dependent child. While at CPC, I was tasked to research, draft, and present legal
memoranda to law enforcement officers, counselors, caseworkers and other child advocates to update
them on changes in statutes and policy. Additionally, I led a group responsible for conducting an analysis
of the family court process and identifying the sectors that needed the most improvement. This task meant
spending time in every division of the CPC, as well as in court. The leadership and analytical skills I
cultivated while accomplishing this task have prepared me to overcome the challenges I will be expected
to face at Georgetown University Law Center.
Adopting David, was just one of many waves I've encountered throughout my life; but it was by
far the most significant. It taught me something that those summers spent swimming at the beach never
did. I learned that when a wave comes crashing down, all the power may seem to be on the surfacewith
our policies, regulations, and laws. But, the real power stems from the base of the wave- our beliefs,
determination, and knowledge. Only these can create meaningful change. At the Community Partnership
for Children, I had two options: Stay on the surface and navigate through a system that had revealed its
flaws to me or I could dive deep into the problem and use my knowledge and determination to become a
catalyst for change. I chose the latter- to immerse myself into the foster care system and attempt to

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transform it. This dive not only reaffirmed my conviction to pursue a career in dependency law, but it also
gave me the skills necessary to achieve it.