My experience with adoption and foster care, though complicated, is something I have held onto, learned from, and am eternally grateful for. When I was born, I was placed immediately into foster care, which guided me to two incredible people who will always be there for me. They fought for me, held my hand through every tribulation, and cheered for me endlessly. It's hard to express how important my family is to me; there will never be enough words to capture my love for them. My parents may not have created me biologically, but they created me from their hearts, and I have grown to become more like them every day. They're a tremendous blessing, and the best people I have loved and looked up to. My experience with adoption, like every story, is different. Unlike most, my adoption was open, and my birth family frequently reached out when I was younger. They constantly reminded me where I came from, and I struggled with the fear of following a path I didn't dream of following. I held a lot of confusion, sadness, and anger for many years. It was only recently that I found agency in my life and discovered who I wanted to become. I wouldn't have found that without my parents, experiences, and birth family, and it’s amazing that such turmoil could be channeled and transformed into the life I have made for myself. In addition to my parents, my two younger brothers have been my built-in best friends throughout my life, and I’ve learned so much from them. Both have autism, which impacted my experiences, both confusing and positive. When I was younger, my parents never faltered from advocating for all three of us. I watched my brothers grow so much from the skills they received from Occupational Therapy. These skills led to such success for them, and my mom used these skills throughout our childhood to help create foundation and structure for us—which was very important. As kids we moved frequently. Being born in California and going back and forth from Colorado to California led to a lot of unstable feelings. Having our parents and these skills allowed us to find a home wherever our family was. After living in California for so long, I will be attending Colorado State University, the college I have dreamed of since elementary school. I never truly knew if I was going to be able to accomplish it since I live in a single-income household. I’ve worked hard for scholarships to afford to attend, but I still don't have a steady financial foundation and will have to work hard to continue attending college. These scholarships would allow me to follow my dream of becoming a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. Colorado State is ranked third in the nation for Occupational Therapy, so this opportunity will truly allow me to get the best education I could dream of and help kids like my brothers and myself gain the skills they need to thrive.