Ambassador Aliscia Brorman Speaks at Social Innovation Summit

Ambassador Aliscia Brorman Speaks at Social Innovation Summit

At this year’s Social Innovation Summit in San Francisco, leaders from across sectors gathered to spark ideas and drive meaningful change. Among the powerful voices featured on the main stage was one of our own—Aliscia Brorman, a Family Fellowship ambassador with Foster Love and co-founder of Full Circle.

A Visual Metaphor for the Foster Experience

Aliscia walked on stage wearing a black dress crafted entirely from trash bags: an intentional choice and a powerful metaphor for her experience in foster care. She began by sharing how, as a child in foster care, she was often handed a trash bag to carry her belongings from placement to placement.

“With each new home came one more trash bag… Pretty soon I started to feel, and believe, that I was trash.”

As her story unfolded, she shed the plastic dress to reveal a stunning gown underneath, symbolizing not only personal transformation but also the dignity that every child in foster care deserves. 

The Butterfly Effect of Change

Aliscia’s journey included moments of deep loss, abuse, and instability. But she also shared about the individuals who lifted her up—educators, CASA advocates, mentors—and how they helped her find her voice.

Using the butterfly effect as a metaphor for the community around her, she says that the Family Fellowship dedicates many “wing flaps” to make sure their scholars succeed. A defining moment in her journey came when she was accepted into Foster Love’s Family Fellowship, which she described not just as a scholarship program but a lifeline:

“[The Family Fellowship] is not just a scholarship. It’s mentorship, it’s a family of foster youth who are surrounding you, all working towards the same goal.”

Thanks to this support system, Aliscia earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and is now pursuing her MBA at Texas Tech University.

Aliscia’s Full Circle Creation

Drawing on her experiences, Aliscia co-founded Full Circle, a lived-experience platform designed to create change from the inside out.

“As a foster alumna, I understand the unique challenges and struggles that come with this experience.”

Through Full Circle, she shares her journey as “CIA”(the name given to her by her biological family) and uses it as a framework for resilience and self-discovery. Central to her message is the Diamond V.U.E., a formula she now offers to others: a path to feeling Validated, Uplifted, and Empowered.

Aliscia describes herself as a “bulletproof foster care advocate” committed to rewriting the narrative around foster youth:

“Now that I have broken cycles I was meant to fall victim to and achieved success despite the adversity that I experienced, I have chosen to utilize the experience in order to spread awareness and advocate for the much-needed change in the foster care system.”

A Ripple Effect That Can’t Be Ignored

Aliscia’s message at the Summit ignites a wave of inspiration. Her voice, grounded in lived experience, reminded everyone in the room of the importance of listening to and empowering those directly affected by the foster care system.

As we work to reimagine foster care, stories like Aliscia’s remind us why this work matters and how much further we can go when we do it together.

You can watch Aliscia’s full speech here: