Sierra Burns M’29 made headlines at February’s State of the Union for her advocacy of the foster care system

Six days before most of her coworkers at Prisma Health even knew what had happened, Sierra Burns M’29 was back at work answering referrals, checking patients in and out and settling into a routine that looked remarkably normal for someone who had just spent an evening at the State of the Union.

Days earlier, on Feb. 24, she had been seated in the gallery in Washington, D.C., next to First Lady Melania Trump and members of the Trump family, a special guest invited because of her advocacy for youth in foster care.

The moment was surreal, but Burns knows better than most that life rarely follows a straight line.

Sierra Burns M’29

Her story begins years earlier in Greenville, where a chaotic home life pushed her to begin advocating for herself long before she ever stepped into a policy arena. At 16, after years of asking adults for help, she made a decision that changed everything.

“I kept saying, ‘Hey, I’m not safe at home,’ to counselors, to police officers, to teachers,” Burns said. “Nothing changed.”

Eventually she stayed at a friend’s house. That decision started a whirlwind stretch that included temporary placements, a foster home and eventually the Pendleton Place group home where she had no idea what to expect. Through it all, Burns kept working, going to school and finding ways to keep moving forward.

Looking back now, she can see how extraordinary it was.

“Each time I lay it out, I’m like, ‘Holy smokes, what did I go through here?’” she said.

Pendleton Place became an anchor during those years, a place that allowed her to keep her car, keep her job and stay at her school. That stability helped her graduate high school early, work full time and eventually enroll at Winthrop University.

College came with its own challenges – isolation during COVID, mental health struggles and the long process of understanding the trauma she had carried with her. But it also helped sharpen her focus. Burns studied psychology, researching trauma and oppression while trying to understand both human behavior and her own story.

That story eventually led her into advocacy.

While still an undergraduate, Burns joined Youth Engagement Advocates (YEA), a group of former foster youth working to change policy in South Carolina. In 2022 she testified at the State House in support of legislation extending foster care support.

“I was like, I want to speak up for these kids,” she said. “I have this experience, but is there anything out there?”

There was.

Burns stayed involved for years, eventually working with YEA through the program’s partnership with the University of South Carolina, all while pursuing her master’s degree in advocacy and social policy at Furman University.

That work is what ultimately caught the attention of federal officials searching for an advocate to highlight during the State of the Union.

Sierra Burns M’29 sits in front of cameras before the 2026 State of the Union address where she was recognized for her work in foster care advocacy. Burns was the special guest of First Lady Melania Trump.

When the call came inviting her to Washington, she could barely process it. Within days she was touring the White House, meeting the First Lady and walking into one of the most watched political events in the country. Sitting there, surrounded by history, Burns made a quiet decision about how she would handle the moment.

“I just did what felt most true to myself,” she said. “I’m living this right now. I don’t want to be seen as not being myself.”

For Burns, the spotlight was never the goal. The work is.

She is currently pushing for policies that expand resources for foster youth, including extended support funding and free college tuition for students leaving the foster care system.

“I was just doing me and doing what I cared about,” she said. “And it landed me there.”

From a group home in Greenville to the gallery of the U.S. Capitol, the journey has been improbable, exhausting and still unfolding. But Burns knows exactly what she wants to do with it.

Keep advocating and make sure the next kid navigating foster care has a smoother path than she did.