In his compelling and honest memoir, Hope's Boy, (Hyperion, 2008), Andrew Bridge '84 recounts his traumatic experiences living 11 years in foster care.  The author was placed in foster care at age 7 when his mother, "Hope", was institutionalized.  After surviving one of America's most notorious children's facilities, MacLaren Hall in Los Angeles, he lived with a loveless foster family that refused to accept him as one of their own.  Bridge immersed himself in his academics, relied on the kindness of teachers, and refused to surrender the love he held for his mother.  He went on to earn a scholarship to Wesleyan, attended Harvard Law School, and became a Fulbright Scholar.  Formerly the CEO/General Counsel for The Alliance for Children's Rights, Bridge remains dedicated to helping children living in poverty and in the foster care system.