I was born in Yueyang, Hunan; I was then taken to an orphanage in Changsha where I got adopted at six months. At the time my mom was a single parent and divorced. She came to China with a group of other American couples and single parents that were using the same adoption agency. She went back to China a year later to adopt another child; my younger sister. We lived in Seattle for two years before we moved to Oak Park. When I was little, I participated in play groups with other children adopted from China. My mom re-married when I was five years old. I had a difficult time accepting him into the family and as a dad. I felt that he was intruding and I did not want him here. My younger sister on the other hand he needed a dad, but I was more independent and thought we were doing just fine on our own. It took me years to finally accept and begin a relationship with him. I realized that being adopted into a diverse family has impacted my life in a positive way.
Growing up I never had trouble making friends of different races because I was exposed to it at an early age. Looking at things from a social class point of view, being adopted into a white family gave me the chance to get a good education and live a healthy, supported life. I did not learn how to read until I was in third grade because the teachers would have kids read in groups. My parents found out I had a learning disability in the spring of second grade. I’ve been in a private school for most of my life. Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to give back to the community by helping people. There have always been two careers that have sparked my interest and that