“That whole experience put me in such a messed-up place for a long time, and I ended up going to counseling,” she said candidly. “Me just yelling out people’s names with no thought behind it is pointless. I need a plan. I could be a voice, but what’s a voice going to do—just keep talking? Or is there action behind it?”

Haddish also says that situation has caused her to keep her armor up.

“I notice that men are afraid of women that are aggressive. So to protect myself, I become semi-aggressive,” she continued. “You hear about, ‘Tiffany always hitting on somebody,’ but that’s to keep them from hitting on me.”

Beyond those terrifying experiences, though, Haddish is focused on the bigger picture, and wants to make a name for herself that can inspire others with similar backgrounds.

“I want to get on that Forbes magazine, not for the money, but to be an example to other foster youths that it don’t matter how low from the bottom you are, you can always rise to the top if you believe in yourself.”