Rick was raised in northern Utah and has lived experience in the Utah Foster Care system. Rick was in foster care for four years before he aged out at the age of 19. Rick attended Weber State University where he studied Social Work and went on to work various jobs within the social work field. He has worked at a youth shelter (Ogden Christmas Box House), residential treatment and day treatment centers (working with teenagers running group sessions and recreational therapy), worked with DCFS as a TAL Coordinator (mainly focusing on establishing Regional and State Youth Boards and providing support for teens in northern Utah transitioning into adult living), he was Utah’s first FosterClub summer internship recipient (a national organization dedicated to training, educating, and connecting foster youth to various resources), served on the Board of Directors for First Star (an organization focused on providing support and guidance in higher education pathways for foster youth in Utah), and is currently serving on the Advisory Board for 1999 Collective (a non-profit with a mission of providing ongoing support and resources to adults who have lived experience in the foster care system).