TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

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Being the unofficial spokeswoman for Kern County foster youth isn't Olivia Villarreal's favorite role, but it's a part she's willing to play if it brings attention to her cause.

"For everybody who thinks that foster youth are worthless or anybody who ever said that, I just want to prove them wrong," Villarreal said.

Unassuming but blunt, Villarreal's mission is to improve the lives of former and current foster care children through her job, advocacy and some day -- she hopes -- through her own nonprofit. At age 22, she has already rejuvenated the local chapter of a foster youth advocacy group and brought a fresh perspective to the Kern County Network for Children as a youth advocate.

"We originally hired (Villarreal) to kind of be a mentor and nurture other youth in the system. She's kind of turned that around on us," said Tom Corson, executive director for the Kern County Network for Children. "She's been a better teacher for us adults and those of us that didn't grow up in the system."

Villarreal and her three siblings spent their earliest years raised by parents who had drug problems and in foster care.

Villarreal and her sister were eventually adopted, while her two brothers stayed in long-term foster care.

While Villarreal tried to stay on her best behavior because she didn't want to be labeled "a bad kid," she watched other foster care kids rebel, acting out and ditching school.

"The foster care system is very frustrating," she said. "You don't feel like you have that place of belonging, your place in the home, so why should you be there?"

She is adamant that foster care children deserve respect and the same opportunities other children enjoy.

"We've been through so much already with our biological families we just need to be treated like a kid," Villarreal said. "Let us grow up in our childhood instead of going straight into adulthood."

Villarreal's adoption by a supportive family gave her a normal teenage life. She said she emersed herself in high school activities because her family encouraged her to be involved in everything.

Ramiro Villarreal Jr., Olivia's adoptive father, said Olivia latched on to the work ethic he and her mother taught her. He watched Villarreal commit to school, working her way from special education to grade-level classes.

"She strived and I was really proud of her," Ramiro Villarreal said. "To me it's unlimited how far she can go."

Villarreal graduated from Liberty High School in 2007 and was hired by the Network for Children the next year. Corson said her insight shaped the Dream Center, a resource center for foster youth, and her "unabashed belief that the system can be changed" is a breath of fresh air.

Villarreal's energy also sparked a revival of the Kern Chapter of California Youth Connection, an advocacy and policy group led by foster youth. After noticing that only one or two people were coming to meetings two years ago, Villarreal stepped in.

"I just kind of took it over and said, 'We need to get more kids involved,'" she said.

Jennifer Robbins, a social worker and the adult supporter for the chapter, said Villarreal gave organization and networking skills to the group.

"She's just brought more of a sense of 'let's get something done,'" Robbins said.

With plenty on her plate, Villarreal is also studying online at Taft College and planning to get married next fall. Her dream is to open her own nonprofit day care to provide childcare for foster youth who are now parents themselves.

"I just kind of try to take it one step at a time," Villarreal said. "I have so many ideas and so many things I want to do but I know I have to first at least try to get done with school before I try to tackle them."

For now, Villarreal has plenty to accomplish and is keenly aware of the responsibility she carries.

"Any time a youth is speaking, people will listen. People will listen to me because I've been through it," she said. "If they want to improve (the foster care system), they would listen."