I went through a prolonged and deeply challenging battle involving CYFD that tested both my professional reputation and personal resilience. As a supervisor in a youth shelter, I reported a hostile work environment and harassment from my direct supervisor, but instead of meaningful intervention, I experienced retaliation. During my time there, I witnessed serious failures in supervision that resulted in younger youth being harmed by older youth—failures that I believe were not properly addressed. After speaking up, I was subjected to what I experienced as an accelerated and irregular process that led to my termination based on false allegations. My background clearance was suspended twice, forcing me to fight to have it reinstated each time, placing an immense emotional and financial strain on my family of five. While I want to be clear that not everyone within CYFD is part of the problem, there are practices within the system that can be misused, including what I experienced as back-channel coordination that attempted to escalate matters into criminal proceedings, which ultimately did not materialize. CYFD went as far as questioning the integrity of the New Mexico State Police investigation when it did not produce the outcome they were seeking. I am grateful that the New Mexico State Police stood on justice and integrity, refusing to be influenced or to overturn their findings despite that pressure. I also witnessed multiple staff members leave due to retaliation and concerns about racial bias within the workplace. Despite everything, this did not break me—it sharpened my purpose. I remain committed to supporting and advocating for staff working in youth shelters and alongside CYFD, helping ensure they have the protection, knowledge, and confidence to speak up against broken policies and retaliation without facing the same consequences.