A teenager who spent her childhood in foster care said the dedication of social workers and foster families helped her turn her life around.Tylasha DeSilva, 18, added that the kindness she had experienced had fuelled her desire to work in social services.She said: “I’ve been exposed to many different social workers who have all played important roles in my life, whether they be big or small.“I want to become a social worker so I can be of service to vulnerable people in Bermuda.”Ms DeSilva, now a student at Bermuda College, had contact with several social workers as a youngster in foster care.She explained that she endured physical, psychological and sexual abuse as she grew up and found herself in a variety of foster homes.Ms DeSilva added: “My social workers placed me in amazing foster homes with women who interest me today.“They kind of helped me to get through the process of moving out of homes and how to, despite everything, continue to push forward and to be successful with my foster families. If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t have graduated.”Ms DeSilva, from Devonshire, was speaking at a ceremony on Monday to mark the start of Social Work Month.The event, at the Blue Room at Bermuda College in Paget, featured appearances by present and retired social workers and other members of childcare services.Ms DeSilva, who left the Berkeley Institute last year as head girl, realised her vocation on a six-month stint with the international performance group Up with People.She told the audience: “Before one performance in Palermo, Italy, we were told to write what we ‘burned’ for, put it in our back pockets and leave it there while we performed. This was the moment when I realised that what I burn for is the protection of children.”Ms DeSilva hopes to go to university in Canada in the autumn and wants to work with children, people with disabilities and seniors.She said: “I want every child to know that there is someone in this world that cares about them and who is willing to fight for them.“Someone who will fight for a safe home, for a loving parent or parents, for a trusting environment, and for a successful future despite circumstances. This is what the social workers in my life did for me.”Kathy-Lynn Simmons, the Minister of Legal Affairs and the Attorney-General, highlighted the “heroic” work of social workers who worked to protect the vulnerable.She added: “Social workers are there to assist in times of personal and family crisis as well as natural disasters.“We salute Bermuda’s social workers for their tireless efforts to bring about change and improve the lives of their fellow citizens.”