Thomas College student helping to change the foster care system – WABI

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – Across our state there are plenty of hard-working and determined young adults working to getting their degrees.

A 22-year-old at Thomas College is doing that, and then some.

Noah Patnaude knows a thing or two about change.

He entered the foster care system at 14. He lived in 7 different homes and went to multiple high schools.

Despite these challenges, Noah graduated high school and is now majoring in psychology at Thomas College.

When he’s not in school, you can find him working his on-campus job, or volunteering with youth foster groups.

Noah is part of the Youth Leadership Advisory Team in Waterville and a member of Foster Youth in Action.

“YLAT is a great outlet. It’s a loving, caring environment,” said Patnaude.

There he mentors kids who are currently in the foster care system.

“It’s once a month for nine months but in those nine months you see growth,” Patnaude explained. “When these youth first come in they’re scared. They’re scared and they say, “Well I’m only here for the food.” You know, just to see what’s going on, and then some of them say, “Well I don’t think I’m coming back.” Then they come back the next month, and the month after. So, what turns into being a couple months of coming, extends to one years, and two years.”

He’s currently helping kids with basic life skills.

“We do mindfulness exercises like close your eyes, take a deep breath, and we go through a whole imagery thing, and it’s like how can we help them be mindful of self-care,” said Patnaude.

Noah has also been an advocate at national conferences, and this past spring he was in Augusta when Governor Mills signed LD 821- a Resolve to Review Caseloads for Child Welfare Caseworkers.

The bill, passed unanimously by the legislature, require the Department of Health and Human Services to review child welfare caseloads and develop standard caseload recommendations with input from caseworkers and the Public Consulting Group.

“For me to be a part of that and to have my voice be a part of that process, I wouldn’t say it was my crowning achievement but, it was a 7-year fight and it paid off,” said Patnaude.

Noah is in his second semester at Thomas College. He says he’s passionate about the psychology program, and he’s made tons of friends while living on campus.

With a Noah’s commitments – school, work, and volunteering, he doesn’t have a lot of downtime. But, he’s happy that all his hard work is paying off.

While he’s proud of his accomplishments, he says he does have some advice for kids who are currently in the foster care system.

“Don’t let the bad times get to,” said Patnaude. “Continue to push through and know that at the end of the day, your goals can be reached.”

Noah’s goal is to become a probation officer so he can help those incarcerated who may have also been in the foster care system.

If you would like to learn more about the Youth Leadership Advisory Team and the work they do around the state, you can visit their website: https://www.ylat.org/.