Yomary's Story

Everyone knows the expression that history repeats itself. In 2013, Yomary looked at her life with much disappointment as she was in an abusive relationship, with a little girl of her own – just like her mother had been. While her mother’s story ended with her untimely death; Yomary found the courage to break this cycle of violence, foster care and poverty for herself and for her daughters. Now safe with her daughters in their own home, and a student at MCC, she says, “I have a message for people and a sense of purpose.”

“My father was never in the picture.”

Yomary and her mother lived in California for many years. After witnessing her mother’s abusive relationships (one after another), and her death, Yomary was put in the foster care system at seven years old.

In 2013, Yomary found herself alone, with a little girl of her own to care for. She reached out to her maternal grandmother in Rochester, who dropped her off at Catholic Family Center’s Lafayette program for women and children. Making several attempts to rekindle relationships with her biological father and the rest of her mother’s family, she realized for certain that she was in fact – Alone! She shares that she felt “defeated”, and that she was most upset that she had repeated her mother’s life: Abusive relationships… Homeless…Family-less…Hopeless…Dreamless…

“I never dreamed. I feel like I can do anything now.”

Since entering the Lafayette program, Yomary has enrolled in Monroe Community College (MCC) and has been on the Dean’s list every semester. She has spearheaded a club called “Society of Survivors”, S.O.S, which is specifically for those who have gone through the foster care system and suffered abuse; and is currently in the process of writing her own biographical novel. She now lives in a Rochester suburb, where her beautiful daughters are enrolled in school.

Her final message for us is about her little girls. She explains that she was frustrated by her lack of knowledge and resources; and not being aware that she was, indeed, strong enough to make life everything she had wanted it to be. She said: “We’re here to make our children’s lives better than our own – here to make a difference for the next generation and to teach them the lessons we’ve had to learn the hard way. It’s amazing to be given the opportunity to have my story told.”