User:Capricruz/sandbox

Capri Cathalina Cruz, born July 5, 1970, is the author of From Foster Care to Fabulous: An Imperative Movement and the co-author of Ripping Gripping Fear Out of Your Story. Born in New York City, New York, Cruz is also a graduate of Liberty University, where she obtained her master's degree in Professional Counseling and University of Maryland, University College, with a BS in Behavioral Social Science. As of September 2012, she continues with her academic studies toward the completion of her PhD. Among her other accolades, Cruz is a retired veteran with 20 years of honorable service in the U.S. Navy, is a certified life coach, a mental health and substance abuse counselor, but most notably, Cruz is an adult survivor of the foster care system and is now a tireless advocate for foster children and others who are interested in learning to become emotionally healthy in order to live a happier and more successful life.

Cruz spent seven years (1977-1983 and 1988), in the foster care system in and around Richmond, Virginia from the ages of 7-13 and then re-entered foster care at the age of 17. Cruz's father removed her from foster care at the age of 13, only to place her with her abusive grandfather from ages 13-15. Desperate to escape his psychological and sexual abuse, Cruz ran away at age 15, after graduating 9th grade only to become homeless. Cruz subsequently dropped out of high school in Queens, New York due to her being homeless and eventually re-entered foster care in Virginia for a 2nd time.

A year later Cruz was told she must move out of her then foster home, and again became homeless. After staying with friends for the next year, Cruz finally graduated high school in June of 1989 and joined the U.S. Navy two months later. In her book, From Foster Care to Fabulous: An Imperative Movement, Cruz elaborates on the toll all of this instability and abuse took on her emotional and mental state, to include the physical, sexual, and psychological abuse she was forced to endure her entire life. Most notably was the physical beatings in foster care, and the sexual abuse she endured after moving in with her grandfather. Cruz also talks in her book about how this type of upbringing led her to self-medicating while enduring 20 years in the military, while being further psychologically damaged due to her inability to take control of her own life. Having never realized having control over her life was actually an option, Cruz endured several abusive relationships with men and was further emotionally damaged until one day, she had an inner awakening. This inner awakening was subsequent to her years of self-discovery work.

Now far removed from all of her demons, Cruz has healed emotionally and psychologically and is living a happy and successful life. With so much to offer those with similar struggles, Cruz's conquest is to ensure every foster child has a copy of her book to ensure they have a template for complete healing and salvation: two things many foster children and other emotionally hurt people are never taught they can achieve.