I was Born in Jacksonville, North Carolina and was put up for adoption in an orphanage by my biological parents.
I was adopted when I was three months old by a couple from High Point, NC into a home where I was raised in a verbally and sexually abusive environment.
I spent much of my time in church and playing basketball to get away. My mother was a foster parent who housed approximately 50 children over the course of roughly 10 years, so I had to do whatever I could to get my own time. My adoptive father was never really a part of my life.
I have still never met with nor spoken to my birth parents. We have absolutely no relationship to this day, and I have absolutely no idea whether my life would have been better or worse had they not put me up for adoption.
But, my real life challenges didn’t manifest themselves until my mid-twenties. As a child, I lacked the awareness to process the events of my birth and childhood. We are all programmed with inherited beliefs of and from our environment, and occasionally reach points where we can choose to alter those beliefs and definitions our environment imposes upon us. As I got older, I was able to learn more about my own programming, and am currently redefining my understanding of family and rejection.
I consistently feel the need for identity confirmation. I wish I had the privilege of knowing my biological parents so I could better understand myself. Not knowing them will always be one of my greatest regrets.
But, I am now grown up and independent. I have been so ever since turning 22 when my adoptive mother passed away.
And despite the struggles I was forced to endure because of adoption, I am still very proud to have been chosen at all.
In ten years, I want to be in a position to give back to my community in a big way. I want to build a charter high school in High Point.
I know I can do this. I truly feel as though nothing can hold me back, knowing what I know from my life experiences.
I hope you can find it within yourself to pursue your dreams as well, despite your struggles.
