Orlando Williams-De La Rosa

Orlando is of Dominican and African-American descent. He speaks Spanish and English. He comes from a dysfunctional and abusive home in the slums of Baltimore City. The first seven years of his life, he bounced around to live with various family members before finally settling down to live the next two years with his mother. His father was incarcerated since his birth so there was no father figure around. Being the oldest, his mother would physically abuse and torture him as an outlet for her anger. She spent most of her time in the streets, using drugs and prostituting for money. Orlando and his younger siblings were often left in the house alone for many days and he had to take care of them alone. At the age of nine, his mother's psychological problems were too great and she abruptly turned him over to the state of Maryland's Department of Social Services. Too old to be adopted, he grew up in group-homes and juvenile correctional facilities as a ward of the state. Growing up as an o