I am a former foster child, adopted youth, and a runaway teenager. When I needed help, local Ocean County resources and supports were available. Safe Haven is more than just shelter; it is an opportunity to gain insight, perspective, skills, and recommit to creating the best possible future.
Because of support, I am now a Child Advocacy and Policy, M.A.
My name is Tiffany, and I was a teenage runaway. When I needed services to secure my safety and placement, I had access to them. Every positive outcome I have experienced is founded on this fundamental truth: sanctuary saves lives and prevents further or worsening adverse experiences.
I was fortunate to have the care of a public-school teacher, Andrea C. Viggiano, who taught Journalism at Toms River High School South. She petitioned for custody when I ran away, and 2 days before Christmas, I was able to go home with my Viggiano family.
The shelter made such an impression that I returned to college in 2010 to work there. I completed my A.A. at Ocean County College, magna cum laude, in 2013. Shortly thereafter, I began employment as a part-time residential counselor while continuing my degree at Stockton University. In 2014, I was promoted to full-time residential counselor, but in 2015, I had to step aside due to health issues. I returned to Stockton University and completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in 2019, magna cum laude. My primary focus was Psychology with a minor specialization in Childhood Studies. My CAPSTONE final project, “Treatment effects for maltreated children and adolescents,” used 2015 data from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). I created and tested my own hypothesis using a two-way mixed ANOVA.
I continued to develop my life passion in 2022 at Montclair State University’s M.A. program in Child Advocacy and Policy. I completed the two-year program in June of 2024. As a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, and Alpha Epsilon Lambda, the Honor Society for Graduate Students, I take pride in my honesty and integrity. I plan to bring a new level of transparency to the CLCL Foundation and fight to ensure that I am not the last youth to receive these opportunities. Restoring emergency access and expanding prevention services is essential, but I hope more professionals, experts, lived-experience parents, and young people will join me.
Only together will we ever have enough wisdom to get this right. There is consistent evidence illustrating what is effective – it is time we implemented solutions instead of creating more problems to band-aid later. Every child, young person, family, and individual has the capacity for change and self-growth. They have every right to access resources to help them do it. Let’s build those resources!