When Kauna was just 11 months old, she and her mother were caught in gunfire while sitting on a porch. Her mother died. Kauna survived, and her childhood was forever changed.

After her mother’s death, she was placed with an aunt, one of the first homes where she experienced trauma.

Kauna struggled with behavioral challenges that began in elementary school. She was frequently in trouble, throwing objects and facing expulsions that continued into high school. At 12, she entered foster care, where moving between homes, residential programs and detention centers became common.

At 14, Kauna entered Youth Villages’ residential care and was placed at the Rose Center for Girls. After six months, she stepped down to a foster home but continued to need additional support, which led her to the Dogwood campus.

This is where Kauna began to finally feel a connection.

Eventually, Kauna stepped down into what would be her final foster home, where she began to thrive. She was excelling in school and thinking seriously about the future. That’s when she received additional support from LifeSet, a program helping young people on their journey to adulthood.

Kauna first met her LifeSet specialist, Britney Creekmore, at the local mall food court while she was on a work break.

“I sat down, and Kauna immediately started setting ground rules for me,” Creekmore said, laughing.

At the time, Kauna wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. Together, they wrote down goals — big and small — and got to work.

“From that point on, we’ve been rolling ever since,” Creekmore said.

Their relationship went beyond paperwork and goal setting. When Kauna didn’t have reliable transportation to school, Creekmore didn’t hesitate.

“I was waking up at 6 a.m. to drop her off,” Creekmore said. “I felt like I was dropping off my own kid. I would say, ‘Have a good day. I’ll see you when you get done.’”

Their bond was built on humor, honesty and a healthy dose of tough love. When Kauna needed an extra push to get her driver’s license, Creekmore jokingly told her it was a new LifeSet requirement.

She dropped Kauna off at the DMV and later received a text to pick her up. When she pulled up, Kauna was sitting outside the office with glossy eyes and a disappointed look.

“I thought, ‘Oh no, she didn’t pass,’” Creekmore said.

Then Kauna laughed and said, “I passed.”

Creekmore helped Kauna stay on track to finish high school and apply to trade schools and colleges. Kauna set her sights on Gould’s Academy, which offered a salon and spa curriculum for cosmetology, esthetics and manicuring.

“Britney actually helped me put all my thoughts down on paper and write my acceptance letter,” Kauna said.

After many hours of studying, board exams and a final practical skills test, Kauna graduated as a licensed esthetician in the summer of 2022. Today, she is enrolled in nursing school with ambitions to become an esthetician nurse.

And like Creekmore said, Kauna continues to ‘keep on rolling.’

She remains actively involved with the Lived Experience Corps, a group of young adults who have participated in Youth Villages’ programs and been a part of the child welfare, juvenile justice or children’s mental health systems.

The Corps consults with Youth Villages leadership and takes on specific projects to enhance the way children and young people are helped throughout the organization’s programs and services.

As a Corps member, she has traveled across the country to places like Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., advocating at the state and federal levels for youth aging out of foster care.

In 2022, Kauna was selected to attend Steven Tyler’s annual GRAMMY Awards^® viewing party benefiting Janie’s Fund, a partnership helping young girls who’ve faced abuse and neglect.

“I’m blessed,” Kauna said. “I think about where I would be if I hadn’t entered LifeSet.”

For Creekmore, Kauna holds a special place.

“Working with Kauna has been a great experience,” she said. “She was one of my first cases when I started with LifeSet.”

Kauna is now a mother and welcomed her first child in 2023.

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