{"241881":{"#nid":"241881","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Associate Professor Nicoleta Serban Speaks About Her Role as a Foster Parent","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThere is a tremendous need for foster parents in Georgia and one Georgia Tech professor has taken it upon herself to help meet that need. In this month\u0027s employee profile we talk to Nicoleta Serban (ISyE) about her decision to become a foster mother, the process involved, and the unique mindset it requires.\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow long have you been at Georgia Tech and what is your role?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u0027ve been here since 2005 and I am an associate professor. My background is in statistics. In the last few years I\u0027ve started working in the healthcare area and I work on some projects related to improving the Medicaid system. I have some collaborators who do work in pediatric healthcare. That\u0027s where most of my research is focused right now.\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat got you interested in becoming a foster parent?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2011 my sister fell ill with leukemia. She spent about nine months in a hospital and she eventually passed away. That experience changed my perspective related to life and priorities. I learned a lot about myself as well because I was her primary caregiver during that time. I was tested, and I learned about caring for others physically and emotionally. That\u0027s when I started playing with the idea of adopting or foster care. I kept hearing about foster care so I looked into it and learned more through the community \u0022Single Mothers by Choice.\u0022 I talked to a woman I met through an agency who fostered and I learned about the experience and process through her.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the process for becoming a foster parent?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou have to go through some training and show that you have a stable income. They want to make sure you\u0027re going to be able to provide a good home. You also have to go through impact training. In my case it was a weekend full of classes. You get connected to other people in the foster world and you learn more about it. They try to scare you away a little bit, to make sure you really want to do it, and about half of the people drop it at that point. And that\u0027s fine. You need to know if it\u0027s for you or not. After that training you have to take some more classes, like CPR and other things you may take anyway if you are a parent. You have to take 15 hours a year of classes, which is not a big deal. Then you are approved, you enter the system, and you start getting phone calls.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003EHow were you connected with your foster child?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI have a little boy who is now six months old. I\u0027ve had him with me since he was born.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI wanted to have an experience with a young child. I thought I\u0027d be able to have a better impact that way, so I chose 0-6 months. Down the road I may be interested in other foster ages but this is what I wanted to start with.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was in NYC and they called me on a Friday saying \u0022We have this little boy who was just born and he needs a home. Would you be willing to take him in?\u0022 I came home on Sunday and picked him up on Monday. It was very short notice to put everything together, but that\u0027s how it works. You have to understand it and be prepared for it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow difficult is it to be a parent for him knowing that he may not be with you for a long time?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou have to think one day at a time and love one day at a time because you don\u0027t know the future for your child. You don\u0027t know how long they will be with you, so you don\u0027t think about what you will get back or what the future holds. You get back what you get today and you don\u0027t expect anything tomorrow.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI realize not everyone can do it, but that I can. I know my little one will probably go back someday to his family. People ask me how I\u0027ll be able to give him back, but I just don\u0027t think about it. I just enjoy my time with him now.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe time commitment is very open ended. Sometimes it might only be for a weekend and other times it may be for two or more years. Some foster parents end up adopting the children. Some want to but can\u0027t because they go back to their families. You have to enter the process with no expectations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy should others consider becoming foster parents?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor families with children of their own, it\u0027s a great experience for children. I talk to families who have cared for foster children and their children all talk about how much they learned. The children keep in touch with the foster kids and it helps them appreciate what they have. They also learn how to care for others and be compassionate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt sounds like an intimidating process because it\u0027s a big investment of time and energy. You think \u0022Why should I invest like that in somebody else\u0027s child?\u0022 But it\u0027s not about getting a return. It\u0027s about helping others and once you do it it\u0027s so rewarding. It\u0027s just a different mindset from what many people are used to. When the time comes for me to let my little boy go, I just have to let him go. That\u0027s part of the deal. That\u0027s what I signed up for.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is something I will probably do all of my life. It just makes sense to me. It\u0027s a very special relationship with the child because you love completely unconditionally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003EWhere can people go to find out more about foster parenting?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI work with an agency called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gcacofgeorgia.com\/Home.aspx\u0022\u003EGiving Children A Chance\u003C\/a\u003E. They, or any other agency would be happy to tell you more about it. They\u0027re very helpful at teaching you about the process and determining if it\u0027s a good fit for you.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI would encourage people to strongly consider being foster parents. There is such a need for it and it is a nice way to give.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENicoleta Serban\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;talks about her decision to become a foster mother, the process involved, and the unique mindset it requires.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27868","created_gmt":"2013-10-02 13:45:19","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:00","author":"Lizzie Millman","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-10-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-10-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"54665":{"id":"54665","type":"image","title":"Nicoleta Serban","body":null,"created":"1449175459","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:44:19","changed":"1475894478","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:18","alt":"Nicoleta Serban","file":{"fid":"172607","name":"Serban_Nicoleta_-_Bust.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Serban_Nicoleta_-_Bust_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Serban_Nicoleta_-_Bust_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2967607,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Serban_Nicoleta_-_Bust_1.jpg?itok=smlKoSnl"}}},"media_ids":["54665"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"426","name":"isye"},{"id":"3502","name":"nicoleta serban"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:barbara.christopher@isye.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBarbara Christopher\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIndustrial and Systems Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404.385.3102\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["bchristopher@isye.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}