American Charell Star was 3 when she first went into foster care. She was 30 when she finally had a home of her own.

Now 44, Charell Star is a TV host, marketing executive & writer. She’s also an advocate for young people growing up in the New York child welfare system.

In her recently published memoir, Charell Star talked about her childhood which was marked by being taken into a stranger’s home with a trash bag full of her stuff.