Black History Month
Spotlight: Simone Biles
Simone Arianne Biles (born March 14, 1997) is an American artistic gymnast. Biles is a three-time world all-around champion (2013–15), three-time world floor champion (2013–15), two-time world balance beam champion (2014, 2015), four-time United States national all-around champion (2013–16), and a member of the gold medal-winning American teams at 2014, the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, and the 2016 Olympic games in Rio.
Biles is the first African-American to be a world all-around champion and the first woman to win three consecutive world all-around titles. Biles is also the most decorated American female gymnast in World Championships history, with fourteen medals, ten of them gold.
Simone Biles was a member of the 2016 USA Olympic team dubbed the "Final Five" who took gold in Rio de Janeiro. Other team members included 2012 Olympic all-around gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas, 2012 Olympic floor gold medalist Alexandra Raisman, 2015 uneven bars world champion Madison Kocian, and the sixteen-year-old newcomer Lauren Hernandez.
Personal Life
Simone and her three siblings entered Ohio's foster care system at age five due to her mother's substance abuse issues. They stayed in Ohio's system for three years until 2000, when they moved with their grandparents in Texas. Shortly after, in 2003, Simone was adopted by her grandparents.
Simone competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the #1 ranked gymnast in the world and brought home the gold!
Thanks to: Airika Buford, LLMSW, Project Director, Bexar County Fostering Educational Success Pilot. The University of Texas at San Antonio for providing this information.
In March 2025, Child Protective Services removed four young children, just 7, 4, 2, and 3 months old, from their mother’s care. This difficult step followed ongoing concerns about neglect, largely connected to the mother’s struggle with substance use, even during her most recent pregnancy. Although CPS offered support through Family Based Safety Services, the mother was unable to engage in the help provided. The children’s father was also unable to support them due to his own substance abuse and his incarceration in Bexar County Jail. Before removal, the children’s basic medical and educational needs were going unmet. They had been moved repeatedly between their mother and other relatives, leaving them without the stability, routine, and nurturing supervision every child deserves. When CASA Staff Advocate, JoAnn Herring, was assigned the case in April 2025, she immediately reached out to both kinship caregivers to understand the children’s needs and how to best support the families stepping in to care for them. JoAnn quickly learned that the paternal grandmother, who lovingly took in some of the children, was struggling financially and facing barriers due to limited English proficiency. To ensure she wasn’t facing these challenges alone, JoAnn submitted a CFE (Collaborative Family Engagement) referral and personally provided translation support so the grandmother could access services with dignity and understanding. Throughout the case, JoAnn has witnessed moments where cultural sensitivity was lacking, and personal biases influenced important decisions; often at the expense of what was best for the children. Despite these obstacles, she continues to advocate steadfastly and compassionately for the children to remain with the kinship caregivers who have opened their homes and hearts to provide safety, consistency, and love. Although the case is not yet over, Joann’s story demonstrates that CASA’s advocacy reaches beyond the children themselves, strengthening the village of care and support surrounding them, because CASA wants children to be safe, to thrive, and to have their overall well-being protected.
Johnathan Cobb
