Fostering Photovoice

MEMBERS OF OUR ART/RESEARCH COLLECTIVE

Kate Watson, PhD, MSW

Principal Investigator

Kate Watson holds a PhD in Social Welfare from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. She researches childhood trauma and well-being from an ecological perspective and using qualitative and quantitative methods. Kate earned a Master of Social Welfare (MSW) with a concentration in Social and Economic Justice from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from American University in Washington, D.C. A passionate advocate for children and youth, Kate has served on the boards of Child Advocates of Silicon Valley and the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce, as chair of the LAJCC Foundation, and as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for foster youth. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and fostering puppies.

Yesi Camacho Torres, MSW, M.Ed.

Graduate Co-Investigator

Yesi is a PhD student in Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Broadly, her research explores how practices, programs, and policies impact the wellbeing of children and their families. Yesi has worked on projects that use MEG and fMRI to explore the brain and behavior changes associated with reading skills development in elementary school, as well as the associations between a child’s environmental experiences, including exposure to violence, socioeconomic status, and their cognitive and neural development. Yesi earned an M.Ed. in Human Development and Psychology with a concentration in Child Advocacy from Harvard University, and an M.S.W. with a concentration in Child and Family Wellbeing from UCLA.

Amanda Solis

Undergraduate Co-Investigator

Amanda Solis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles, class of 2024. She has conducted high quality qualitative and quantitative research and written literature reviews on a variety of underrepresented societal groups, such as: foster youth, LGBTQ youth, and individuals of different socioeconomic status. A first generation student, Solis has a strong desire to attend law school, where she hopes to develop her critical thinking and logistical skills to apply them to the real world cases of future clients. Solis aspires to be an advocate for children in the child welfare system.

Abigail Rubtsova

Undergraduate Co-Investigator

Abigail Rubtsova Henderson is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, double majoring in Political Science and Anthropology. On campus, she dedicates her time to organizations like Kids Korner, Bruin Guardian Scholar, the Academic Advancement Program and holds office in Kappa Alpha Pi pre-law fraternity. Abigail currently works on the Photovoice team and hopes to empower foster youth by sharing their stories through creative media and research.

Angelica

Artist

Angelica is a second-year UCLA student studying public affairs, Central American studies, and geospatial systems. During the past year she has been more involved in research and has earned a position as a research assistant to a professor who will mentor her in her own research project.

Angelica joined the Fostering Photovoice project to have new experiences using creative mediums and communicating with her peers. She learned to express herself through photography and enjoyed the process of creating a gallery show!

DP

Artist

“I joined the Photovoice project to learn more about photography, different perspectives with pictures, and to be able to talk about how the foster care system impacted me through my photos. I also wanted to learn how it impacted others and hear their stories.”
-D.P.

JT

Artist

JT is a college student studying behavioral science at Los Angeles Trade Tech. She is also a community advocate and serves as a founding board member on a young adult steering council that focuses on improving the lives of young folks experiencing homelessness.

She joined the Photovoice Project because it utilizes photography to show the world through the eyes of current and former foster youth. Her work with the project has taught her how to use the art of photography to bring visibility to the daily challenges faced as a first-generation queer Latina with lived experience. JT’s images authentically capture the shades of human experience, urging us to see ourselves and the world around us in a whole new way.

Link Kayser

Artist

Link Kayser is a college student studying music performance at Pasadena City College. He also volunteers to tutor young and upcoming musicians on the flute and trumpet through his local orchestra.

He joined the Fostering Photovoice project to support his sister, but after going through the process of taking photos and editing them, he realized how much the program meant to him. As a former foster youth, he felt the need to show his and others' stories. He learned that there are more people out there who share the same experiences.

Nancy Mogy

Artist

Hello everyone, I'm Nancy Mogy! I'm a former foster youth who was adopted at 17 1/2 years old. In my teenage years, I harbored resentment towards the challenges I faced early on. I often asked, 'why me?' Now, at 24, I can proudly say I've embraced the person I've become…

I'm immensely grateful for joining this incredible cohort through the Fostering Photovoice project. Beyond meeting caring and inspiring individuals and honing my photography skills, this program has propelled me beyond my comfort zone.

Zoe Wright

Artist

My name is Zoe Wright. I'm 21 years old, and I currently attend Cal State Long Beach.

I was in the foster care system when I was around the age of 15 through a group home. I went into the Fostering Photovoice project because I thought of it as a unique opportunity to share my story in a way that I hadn't done before.

I'm on the journey of healing and sharing what I have been through as a way to work through my struggles. With this project I was able to create and be in a safe space where I could further expand and deepen my connections within the foster youth community.

Gabriella Cohen Herrera

Law and Policy Lead
Graduate Co-Investigator
02/2023-02/2024

Gabriella is a J.D. candidate at UCLA School of Law. She graduated with distinction from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Sociology. She conducted research on the COVID-19 effects on foster youth and on the effects of sibling separation in the foster care system on educational achievement and mental health. She has worked in helping immigrant families, unaccompanied migrant youth, and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems rise. She successfully wrote bill amendment language affecting people impacted by the foster care and juvenile justice systems. At UCLA Law, she is the Chair of the Child and Youth Advocates. She researched for and wrote the UCLA Law Youth Justice Guidebook for the Public Interest Career Guides through the Criminal Justice Program. When she's not doing school work, Gabriella writes songs and designs Virtual Reality 3D models.

Isabella Reina

Media Coordinator
08/2023-02/2024

Isabella Reina is a second year undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, double majoring in Public Affairs and Communications. At UCLA, Isabella works for the UCLA Pritzker Center on the AVENUE project, Housing Choice Voucher research, Fostering Photovoice, and is a media assistant. This summer, she was a media relations intern for Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Isabella hopes to continue to strengthen her expertise in media relations and communications.

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