Posts By: Sondra Lehmann

Sydney is from Dallas, Texas and a graduate of TNOYS’ Young Adult Leadership Council. She is passionate about using her voice to spread awareness for youth and young adults struggling with their mental health. By sharing her lived experience, she aims to amplify youth voices by spreading education and knowledge to create systems-change. Her involvement… Read more »

Zahda Hodges currently resides in Austin, Texas. She is a graduate of TNOYS’ Young Adult Leadership Council and is currently pursuing a career in real estate. With her experience working in customer service and fast-paced environments, she prides herself in her work.   Zahda recently worked with TNOYS on a blog post about her experience with… Read more »

Diamond is from Houston, Texas, but currently resides in El Paso. She is a graduate of the Young Adult Leadership Council and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her goal is to attend law school and become a family attorney to support children and families. She… Read more »

Mikyra Bisby is a graduate of TNOYS’ Young Adult Leadership Council. She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Social Work with the goal of helping those in need, especially youth in foster care. As an advocate for youth and young adults in foster care, she shares her story to create systems-change.  Mikyra recently worked with… Read more »

Last month, TNOYS was excited to welcome youth, young adults, and professionals from across systems to our 42nd Annual Conference for Services to Youth and Families! Over 400 attendees joined us in Houston for a week packed with inspiring keynotes, workshops, and sessions that enthusiastically embraced this year’s theme of “Deep in the Heart of… Read more »

The 89th Texas Legislative Session kicks off in January, and TNOYS has been hard at work building a policy agenda that reflects the real needs and challenges that Texas youth, young adults (YYA), and the providers who serve them face every day. Throughout 2024, our team powered multiple initiatives to listen to and learn from… Read more »

Anaya, who lives in Houston, Texas, first became involved with TNOYS after attending a TNOYS-led youth and young adult (YYA) listening session at our member Covenant House. After seeing first hand how TNOYS centers YYA voices, Anaya felt that the Young Adult Leadership Council (YALC) offered a unique opportunity to make a difference for young… Read more »

Through TNOYS’ youth engagement roadmap, young people who have lived the issues have a range of opportunities to have their voices heard in our work, from individual listening sessions to paid work-based learning programs where we invest in them as leaders.  Our flagship program is the 12-month Young Adult Leadership Council. Each October, the YALC… Read more »

Last month, TNOYS was thrilled to welcome youth, young adults, and professionals from across systems to our 41st Annual Conference for Services to Youth and Families! Over 550 attendees joined us in Houston for a week packed with inspiring keynotes, workshops, and sessions that enthusiastically embraced this year’s theme of “Bright Stars, Bold Futures.” We… Read more »

Kirsten is from Abilene, TX. She currently serves as a member of the YALC and is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. Her lived experience includes involvement with CPS. She has worked closely with outreach organizations such as BCFS that help youth with their transition out of the foster care system.  Kirsten has a… Read more »