Black History Month
Spotlight: Simone Biles
Simone Arianne Biles (born March 14, 1997) is an American artistic gymnast. Biles is a three-time world all-around champion (2013–15), three-time world floor champion (2013–15), two-time world balance beam champion (2014, 2015), four-time United States national all-around champion (2013–16), and a member of the gold medal-winning American teams at 2014, the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, and the 2016 Olympic games in Rio.
Biles is the first African-American to be a world all-around champion and the first woman to win three consecutive world all-around titles. Biles is also the most decorated American female gymnast in World Championships history, with fourteen medals, ten of them gold.
Simone Biles was a member of the 2016 USA Olympic team dubbed the "Final Five" who took gold in Rio de Janeiro. Other team members included 2012 Olympic all-around gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas, 2012 Olympic floor gold medalist Alexandra Raisman, 2015 uneven bars world champion Madison Kocian, and the sixteen-year-old newcomer Lauren Hernandez.
Personal Life
Simone and her three siblings entered Ohio's foster care system at age five due to her mother's substance abuse issues. They stayed in Ohio's system for three years until 2000, when they moved with their grandparents in Texas. Shortly after, in 2003, Simone was adopted by her grandparents.
Simone competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the #1 ranked gymnast in the world and brought home the gold!
Thanks to: Airika Buford, LLMSW, Project Director, Bexar County Fostering Educational Success Pilot. The University of Texas at San Antonio for providing this information.
Brennan Holland was assigned to Sarah in December 2022. Sarah entered foster care with a history of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, yet she remains incredibly resilient. Throughout her time in care, she has experienced multiple placements. Brennan quickly learned that Sarah has a strong passion for neuroscience and dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. Determined to pursue her goal, she graduated early from high school and is now enrolled in the College Bound Docket program, attending her school of choice—UTSA. However, the path to achieving her dream has not been without challenges.\ Sarah received a discharge notice from her current placement and was denied Supervised Independent Living (SIL) until she turned 18. It felt as though no one was giving her a real chance. CASA stepped in to advocate for Sarah’s independence, pushing for her to live in a dorm on her own. Not everyone on her team supported this idea due to concerns about her age, limited independent living experience, and fears that she might run away, be influenced by older peers, or engage in risky behavior. CASA, however, continued to stand by Sarah, even offering financial assistance to help her move into a dorm until she became eligible for SIL. At Sarah’s next court hearing on January 24, 2025, her attorney ad litem filed a motion for her to live in a dorm at UTSA. CASA once again advocated for the court to approve this plan. The judge, quoting Brennan’s court report, stated, “Brennan said it correctly: You are going to succeed or fail based on your decisions.” Ultimately, the judge authorized Sarah to live in the dorms on campus and ordered CPS to cover the cost of SIL. CASA recently assisted Sarah in moving into her very first dorm room, and we are excited to see what the future holds for her. Since being placed on campus, she has built a strong network of supportive adults to help her thrive. The impact of CASA facilitating these vital connections is crucial in ensuring that young adults like Sarah have the support they need to successfully transition into adulthood.
Emily White
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