This week marked the beginning of the end of my ten-week fellowship here at The National Center for Adoption Law and Policy. In addition to invaluable professional experience, I have also gained a far greater appreciation for attorneys and social workers in the child welfare and adoption fields.

Furthermore, I have developed a deeper understanding of the experiences of children and families directly affected by these systems. As I prepare to leave NCALP, I am getting a very small taste of what it is like for children moving from foster home to foster home. The lack of stability, apprehension and uncertainty of what is to come are feelings that are familiar to all children in the child welfare system at some point in time.

It amazes me that children far younger than me have the ability to cope with these complex emotions and to overcome the difficulties with which they are faced. The work that takes place at NCALP helps to ease these challenges and improve children’s chances of living as healthy and happy a life as possible. Being a part of that work, even if only for a short time, has been such an honor.

As I move on to whatever life has in store for me, I will remember all the things I have learned at NCALP and use them to grow both personally and professionally.

“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.” – Lao Tzu

 -Ann, NCALP