Tony Ruch is a successful Bay Area attorney and a long-standing member of the JBAY Board of Directors. His commitment to JBAY comes from his first-hand experience with the foster care system and a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people like himself.
Tony was removed from his home and placed into foster care at age 3. He lived in over 30 placements during his 15 years in the foster care system, all in and around Santa Clara County.
According to Tony, many things were challenging about growing up in foster care, but one stands above the rest: being alone. He recalls seeing family members once a year, often around Christmas, but most of his childhood was spent alone, as he moved through foster homes, group homes and large residential settings.
Tony’s life changed for the better in seventh grade, when he came to know the person who he now considers his dad, a single father who was also a therapist. Tony moved to Hollister, enrolled in high school and earned a spot in the honors programs which put him on the track to higher education. “It was small community, where everyone knew everyone. I flourished.”
After graduating high school, Tony attended the University of California San Diego, but found himself unprepared as a low income first generation college student and feeling out of place. “It was complete culture shock. Everyone was nice, but I was completely unprepared for the transition to living on my own and the rigors of academic life at university. I grew up dirt poor and was suddenly surrounded by very high achievers who were from academically respectable high schools and upper-class communities.”
This experience is one reason why Tony is excited about JBAY’s work, which includes expanding financial aid and campus support programs for foster youth attending college. “There wasn’t a Guardian Scholars Program or a community of people who were in similar shoes. I wish I would have had that.”
Tony transferred to the University of California Santa Barbara, graduated and later pursed his dream of becoming a lawyer by attending Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, OR. Since then, he has worked in environmental law, served as a deputy district attorney, worked at the housing authorities of both San Francisco and Oakland and now specializes in landlord tenant and personal injury law.
Tony is proud to be part of an organization that has improved foster care for thousands of young people like himself. This includes the extension of foster care from age 18 to 21, which wasn’t in place for Tony. “The summer I graduated high school, I was cut off. I was totally on my own. There was no transition program. You had a court hearing, and it was: good luck, don’t end up in jail. You are no longer a burden to the taxpayers.”
Despite this progress, he understands many challenges remain for today’s youth. As a JBAY board member, he is committed to helping the organization address those challenges. He is joined by 12 other board members, including two foster care alumni, Miles Cooley and Bunny Taylor.
For Tony, a key to overcoming challenges is maintaining a positive mindset. It is something that he recommends to young people facing challenges today, “Try to stay positive, see the best in others, and believe in yourself.”
He also takes pride in beating the odds, which he knows are stacked against young people in foster care. “I wanted to stay positive and show myself and everyone else that I could beat the system. To me, I took it as a challenge.”