“Not all of the decisions were good decisions, but ultimately they led me to a place where I felt safe,” she said.

From ages 13 to 21, she lived in the same foster home, feeling that she had found safety and stability. But she did not make it easy for her new foster mother.

“I put her through hell,” Ms. Vassell recalled. “I wasn’t used to being treated good.”

After years of difficulty, Ms. Vassell said it was a high school psychologist who inspired her to help other children in need.

“That’s who I want to be, I want to be here, I want to help someone,” Ms. Vassell said. “When you don’t have someone you can relate to, especially if it’s someone you’re telling your life to, you’re just sitting there, and you’re O.K., but you don’t even know me, you don’t even know a little bit of what I’ve gone through.”