LOS ANGELES — College is where she changed her life. Writing essays and studying helped Angela Young move from Cal Poly Pomona student to alumna.

“It felt really amazing to graduate from college because as a former foster youth only 3% of foster youth actually graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree,” Young said. “To this day, it is one of my biggest accomplishments.”

Young was in foster care from age four to 18. Her transition to college was helped by walks to the Renaissance Scholars office, a program that supports students who are former foster youth. The program told her she was eligible for food assistance from Los Angeles County, but when she went to the county, she was told she didn’t qualify.

“I literally told them, ‘Hey…here’s the flyer, here’s the amendment. And they’re like, ‘Oh, we didn’t even know that this amendment was passed,” Young said.

That’s one of the reasons Young joined the LA County Youth Commission to advocate for youth in care. She’ll also be speaking for youth at the ballot box. As an LA resident, she wants the next mayor to listen to youth in the system.

“Since it’s such an invisible identity, I feel like it’s easy to forget about us,” Young said. “Mayoral candidates should really connect with youth within the child welfare system.”

LA’s next mayor will need to focus on child welfare, as the city has one of the largest populations of foster youth in the country.

Mayoral candidate Mike Feuer has toured youth shelters and spoken about the need for housing. Candidate Kevin de León wants to focus on jobs for young people, having helped create LA’s first Youth Development department.

Early front-runner Karen Bass is known on Capitol Hill as a child welfare champion. She wants to bring much of that work to LA by focusing on prevention and intervention.

“When foster youth turn either 18 or 21, we essentially cut off the resources,” Bass said. “You can imagine, I don’t care whether you are an upper middle class 18-year-old or 21-year-old, you cannot survive on your own.”

Support and a safety net are what Young believes every youth needs to thrive.

“When they aren’t worried about when their next meal is going to be, where they are going to lay their head at night, how they are going to get to school or work or wherever they need to go, when those three needs are met, it’s easier for them to realize their full potential and navigate through life,” Young said.

Voters will decide the next mayor in November.