Issac: Superhero Father Figures

By Connor Ling and Julia Nash

Issac St. Romain III says his full name every chance he gets, and when you hear him say it, it’s clear that he has earned every part of it.

After losing his father at the age of 16 to illness, the only constant source of guidance and support for Issac was suddenly gone. For a teenage boy, the loss of a father-figure was rattling, but he trekked forward and moved into his older sister’s apartment. After some time, he entered into the foster care system, a brand new experience that he made the most of.

Issac genuinely enjoyed the time spent with the other boys, playing video games, making raps, and goofing around in their common room. When he learned that a potential foster father was interested in taking him in, he was nervous since he had finally been settling into this new life.

He had heard that this foster father, Nate Gray, was hesitant to bring in another youth in foster care since he was already taking care of others, but Nate ended up bringing in Issac and forging a strong father-like relationship within the next couple of years.

Issac has always been obsessed with superheroes, even to this day. He can talk for hours about their backstories, recount each of their villains, and reminisce over their greatest triumphs because he resonates with their stories as they mirror his own. He loves the names they take on to be larger than life, to be more than what they were told they could be.

Both of his father figures were superheroes to him in each of their own ways; one raising him through his youth and the other helping him become a man.

Too often, Issac is typecast as the one who falls through the cracks, unsupported by the system and often forgotten about. Being so close to already aging out of the system when they enter, one might wonder how much of an impact foster care could have on someone like Issac. However, every experience in the foster care system is different. For Issac, entering the system in his junior year of high school gave him a more nuanced perspective and the opportunity to build a mentor-mentee relationship with Nate.

He has since aged out of the system, but Issac maintains his relationship with Nate. The VR video piece above brings viewers along the journey, as Issac revisits his old house to spend time with his foster father. The two recount their experiences together and discuss the ways in which Issac has grown as an individual. Issac claims that much of this growth is thanks to Nate’s guidance and patience, even when he was being a difficult teenager.

Issac says his full name because of the personal history it carries with it. It represents his father and his legacy, which he feels he has the responsibility to continue. But it also reminds him that he is not alone and that while he is no longer in the system, that community will always be there for him. Almost like a superhero, saying his name makes him stronger.