This piece is sponsored by LSS of South Dakota.
On any given day, Sam Uwizeyimana can be found studying legal cases and preparing for exams. It’s a scene that would have been difficult to imagine a decade ago, when the now 28-year-old was experiencing homelessness and placed into foster care. Today, his story reflects what’s possible when resilience meets opportunity and a child is provided with the right support.
“Me and my family were living at a motel,” he said. “I was trying to get my mom out of a spot and get her help. And I was pretty much doing everything, working while I was in school and trying to figure out where to go.”
It was 2014, and Uwizeyimana was a high school student in Sioux Falls, living with this single mother and two young twin brothers. A disagreement with their landlord had led to the family having to move, and he knew something had to change…