Aaron Zendejas grew up in the foster care system, moving through nine group homes in six years. Today he is a national speaker, mentor, and advocate with one core conviction: the people who lived through the system should lead the work of changing it.

That conviction has carried him from group homes to the White House, where he shared his testimony in 2024. It shows up weekly in his work with organizations serving foster youth: Open Your Doors, which rallies the entertainment industry behind them, the National College Resources Foundation, and Beyond the Tears, where he sits on the board.

Now Aaron is building a tech company created to invest in and give back to displaced youth. His dream is to blaze the trail for the young people coming behind him, living proof that the most beautiful flowers sprout from the darkest soil.