Yes, I was in the foster care system. Still to this day, I have unanswered questions and I am not completely sure what truly happened. I only have what my adopted parents told me. I was put into foster care when I was eleven months old and didn’t get adopted until I was seven. From what I know, my aunt was the one who put me into foster care because my dad was abusive, and she didn’t feel comfortable having me in that environment. I went from home to home; I was in sixteen homes from eleven months to six years old. I have had countless things happen to me during that time, from being touched inappropriately to getting abused physically. My birth mother had my little brother after me; we are only a year and a half apart. He also ended up in the foster care system. My brother Chris and I had a very tight bond because we grew up together in the foster care system. Chris and I ended up getting separated because they didn’t think it was healthy for us to be around each other because I was seen as “crazy.” We were separated when I was six years old because I was admitted to a mental hospital. The reason I was admitted was that my foster parents at the time decided they didn’t want me, and they made up a lie saying I tried to wreck their car while they were driving. It’s still very hard to make sense of it because I was six; I don’t understand how I could have done that. I was in there for about a month, and I remember many families would come and visit me to see if I was right for their family. I never ended up being what they wanted. Then, I had this one family come along, and it was a divine connection. We connected perfectly. I remember the first time I met this family; I was just full of joy. I was six years old, bouncing off the walls with my ADHD, all excited to meet them. One of the first things I did was sing "Let It Go" from Frozen for them, and I even tried to read them a book. I remember my caseworker coming in after I met with this family and asking how it went. I said, "I want to go home with those white people." They visited with me on a Wednesday I got place with them that Friday. When I was placed in the Carrington household, my life was forever changed. They loved me like I was one of their own. The Carrington family ended up adopting me when I was seven years old. I remember for my first Christmas, they bought me a karaoke machine, and I would go around the house singing with my Frozen CD as loud as I could. From as long as I could remember, I loved singing. The Carringtons are a Caucasian family, and they took in a little African American girl. What society says wouldn’t work and is weird, my God has used for His good. I plan on making an impact in my community by sharing the joy and true love of Jesus. My long-term goal is to earn my degree in education and music and teach music at a Christian school. I went through a lot of heartache, and if I could help just one person, that would mean the world to me.

Yes, I was in the foster care system. Still to this day, I have unanswered questions and I am not completely sure what truly happened. I only have what my adopted parents told me. I was put into foster care when I was eleven months old and didn’t get adopted until I was seven. From what I know, my aunt was the one who put me into foster care because my dad was abusive, and she didn’t feel comfortable having me in that environment. I went from home to home; I was in sixteen homes from eleven months to six years old. I have had countless things happen to me during that time, from being touched inappropriately to getting abused physically. My birth mother had my little brother after me; we are only a year and a half apart. He also ended up in the foster care system. My brother Chris and I had a very tight bond because we grew up together in the foster care system. Chris and I ended up getting separated because they didn’t think it was healthy for us to be around each other because I was seen as “crazy.” We were separated when I was six years old because I was admitted to a mental hospital. The reason I was admitted was that my foster parents at the time decided they didn’t want me, and they made up a lie saying I tried to wreck their car while they were driving. It’s still very hard to make sense of it because I was six; I don’t understand how I could have done that. I was in there for about a month, and I remember many families would come and visit me to see if I was right for their family. I never ended up being what they wanted. Then, I had this one family come along, and it was a divine connection. We connected perfectly. I remember the first time I met this family; I was just full of joy. I was six years old, bouncing off the walls with my ADHD, all excited to meet them. One of the first things I did was sing "Let It Go" from Frozen for them, and I even tried to read them a book. I remember my caseworker coming in after I met with this family and asking how it went. I said, "I want to go home with those white people." They visited with me on a Wednesday I got place with them that Friday. When I was placed in the Carrington household, my life was forever changed. They loved me like I was one of their own. The Carrington family ended up adopting me when I was seven years old. I remember for my first Christmas, they bought me a karaoke machine, and I would go around the house singing with my Frozen CD as loud as I could. From as long as I could remember, I loved singing. The Carringtons are a Caucasian family, and they took in a little African American girl. What society says wouldn’t work and is weird, my God has used for His good. I plan on making an impact in my community by sharing the joy and true love of Jesus. My long-term goal is to earn my degree in education and music and teach music at a Christian school. I went through a lot of heartache, and if I could help just one person, that would mean the world to me.