From Survival to Restoration

Jenna Rapetti’s early years were filled with hardship and heartbreak, but hope was on the horizon.

Growing up in a home with drug-addicted parents and a rotating door of strangers put a heavy strain on the kids. Jenna remembers the day she and her sisters were picked up by Child Welfare Services. They were wandering down the street when a strange car pulled alongside them and asked if they were hungry. Being very young (and indeed very hungry) they readily agreed to ride with the stranger. This person was actually a case worker who had been notified of their living situation and had come to pick them up. She showed them kindness, making sure they were fed first before taking them into the custody of CWS.

Jenna was just five years old when she entered the foster system and she and her sisters would end up bouncing around from home to home; five in the span of just one year. In one home, the foster mom ran a daycare and would separate the children by age. Jenna remembers how lonely and scared she felt being away from her older sisters during the day.

“I remember the moment the tooth fairy was ruined for me.” In another home, Jenna had lost her first tooth and couldn’t wait for a visit from the tooth fairy. She excitedly placed the tooth under her pillow in anticipation. Instead of seeing her excitement and fostering that magic, her then foster mother took the tooth from under the pillow right in front of Jenna, threw it away, and handed her cash.

One week before they were set to be separated, all three sisters were placed in what would end up becoming their forever home — keeping them together against the odds. Nothing could replace the feeling of coming home for the first time. Many of Jenna’s previous placements had felt transactional and cold, and when her soon-to-be adoptive parents entered the picture, the sisters could breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in a long time. Jenna remembers one of the very first questions she asked her adoptive parents was “Can I call you mom and dad?” 

While the sisters were grateful to be placed in a forever home together, this new chapter of their lives didn’t come without challenges. Each of them had to face the trauma of their upbringing in different ways over the course of the following years. This is something therapists call “post-survival crash.” The girls had needed to take care of themselves for so long, their nervous systems never had the chance to relax and regulate. Once they entered a safe, stable environment, they had to unlearn a lot of their previous survival tactics. For Jenna, it was battling a scarcity mindset; never believing there was enough food. She laughs now, thinking back to how her family would call her “Chipmunk” for constantly trying to store food away. 

When she entered school, Jenna faced an identity crisis. As a Korean and Filipino child, she quickly noticed that very few of her classmates — or even the people in her community — looked like her. In 7th grade, a student loudly asked Jenna “Are you adopted?” Jenna was caught off guard; this wasn’t something she was prepared to answer so she quickly denied it. But that question stuck with her, and would bring up more feelings of isolation and confusion as she tried to navigate who she was in a racially isolated town, with an adoptive family that didn’t look like her. 

Jenna didn’t know it then, but each challenge she overcame in her early years was shaping the direction of her future. Following high school she was accepted to Jessup University and planned to major in nursing. After working in church ministry and as a nanny, Jenna realized that her true calling was serving and supporting children so she switched majors to psychology. 

Jenna’s college years also brought healing and self-reflection. She began to slowly piece together her story, claiming it as part of her identity without letting it define her. During this time, Jenna was introduced to Heidi White, who became a mentor and friend, helping her walk through this important season and cheering her on when she graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in December 2024. 

It was through Heidi that Jenna was introduced to The Alliance and she quickly fell in love with the heart and mission of the organization, realizing how truly passionate she is about helping foster youth. Jenna joined the team as an intern before being hired as our Program & Executive Assistant. She recently celebrated her second year with The Alliance and we’re so thankful for the compassion, warmth, and strength she brings to our team.

The most important thing Jenna wants anyone walking through a difficult season to know is that “challenges become part of your story, but not everything.” The hardships we face become memories, scars that never truly fade but instead become reminders of what we’ve survived and overcome.