Athena Perry began her college journey unsure of what her calling was. As she worked toward obtaining her associate’s degree, she noticed that most of her classes had something in common.

“My first two years of school, I was doing humanities,” she said. “The theme in the classes I was taking, and the overall direction I was going for, was working with people – for their benefit and for their welfare.”

She eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and was hoping to work in immigration. Athena interned with the International Rescue Committee, helping immigrants obtain green cards, citizenship, and apply for asylum. “I was already kind of doing social work, but it was under a different label,” she said.

Athena graduated during the pandemic and did odd jobs until she got connected to Children’s Aid through a recruitment agency. In August 2021, she officially became a foster care case planner at our Staten Island Family Services Center.

She still works to connect people with critical services, but the people she works with skew younger. Her clients, ranging in age from 1 to 24 years old, are children and youth in foster care whose parents are working toward reunification, adoption, and more. Athena ensures that their cases are moving along and essential paperwork is completed.

“My favorite thing about the job is that it’s different every day,” she said. “I’m not working for some big corporation. I get to form relationships with people. I progress their cases and progress where they are in their lives.”

Working with young people is advantageous, according to Athena, because she can relate to them and effectively advocate for them. One of her clients is only one year younger than her.

“I understand the rebellious thing that some of them are going through,” she said. “I can advocate for them when it comes to talking to my supervisor or foster parent when they don’t understand why a kid is acting this way. I like to advocate for my young adults because I feel like I understand their perspective.”

After two-and-a-half years in the role, Athena has witnessed graduations, adoptions, children reunited with their parents, and young people moving into their first apartments. While she started college unsure of her future career, she is thrilled with where she ended up.

“I really didn’t intend to go into social work because I didn’t go to school for it,” she said. “I wouldn’t really imagine myself doing anything else at this point. This is all I want to do now.”

We believe all children have limitless potential, and we are committed to ensuring that there are no boundaries that prevent them from reaching their aspiration. To stay updated on our programs and services, sign up for our mailing list.