Simone Biles has once again bagged a moment of pride and personal vanity as Forbes has included her in the April 2026 250 Greatest Living Self-Made Americans list. Biles made an emotional reflection on her journey from her foster care years to becoming a world-celebrated gymnast.
Biles has long been hailed as the greatest gymnast to ever take on the vault. With multiple world championships and Olympic medals, Biles has touched the hearts of people even beyond gymnastics and sports through several endeavors that have turned her persona into a symbol of resilience.
Forbes recently launched this initiative in the wake of the upcoming ‘4th of July’ event, which marks 250 years of American independence, termed the United States Semiquincentennial. Alongside other prominent self-made Americans, Biles too found herself on the list, as Forbes highlighted her journey full of setbacks, wins, and a story to be remembered.
Celebrating the moment, Biles took to her social media and reacted emotionally to her description as the most decorated gymnast in history. Her statement read:
“Blessed is an understatement, from foster care to this!!”
In the photo, Biles can be seen holding the American flag as she cheerfully waves across her glory.
Biles has also been a huge advocate for mental health support, especially for athletes, and has been a long-time Olympic ambassador for spreading the word of sports to millions of underprivileged people.
When Simone Biles Talked to Kids Living in Foster Care
Biles grew up with tremendous hardships, starting with trying to adapt to a hard-tempered household and eventually getting placed into a foster home. Since then, she has made a momentous career in sports, advocated enormously for mental health, and circled back to providing immense support for hundreds of children currently in the foster care system.
During a visit to a local foster care event in Chicago a few months ago, Biles spent immense time with the kids that came to see her and spoke about how seeing their faces gives her a glimpse and a reflection of her younger days as a foster kid.
“Just seeing the kids faces light up and having that proper representation and for girls that look like me and I was once in there shoes, and it truly means the world and I would continue to do work in the foster care community,” she said (1:18).
She also highlighted how setting the right affirmations at a very young age could help these kids believe in themselves and move in the right direction.
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