For years, I’ve reflected on what qualities enable people to overcome adversity. I believe my journey exemplifies that one answer is a synthesis of initiative and resilience. From foster care, to a broken home, to military service, to two tours of duty in the Middle East, initiative and resilience have steered me to where I am today.
I was born into poverty to an immigrant mother. When I was 2, my mother’s drug addiction caused me to be placed into the Los Angeles County foster care system. I lived in seven different homes over the next five years. Some homes had more than 10 foster children living in them. The families were of many ethnic backgrounds; I was compelled to develop social skills to receive care from distracted foster parents. …show more content…
I enjoyed calling my new parents “mom” and “dad” and saying “I have a sister.” As a boy who hadn’t had a family, it made me happy to finally be a part of one.
Two years later, my parents revealed they were ending their marriage. This was crushing. I observed as my parents argued and noticed they often mentioned my adoption. I found a sanctuary to escape: the school library. There I read Encyclopedia Brown and other favorites. My adoptive mother was granted custody of me; consequently my adoptive father severed ties with me because he knew it would hurt my mother. I was heartbroken and curious why a dispute with my mother resulted in my father not speaking to me. I asked adult relatives and they’d skirt the question. There was one adult who was truthful.
She was a coworker of my mother’s named Shelly. She related that when adults are hurt, they can behave irresponsibly. I was grateful for her honesty and we became close. My mother soon entered a relationship with her. As a young boy, I was puzzled that my mother could now be in a relationship with Shelly. My mother explained that in our society young gay people are often socialized into believing they’re heterosexual and then, as adults, embrace their attraction to the same sex. This blew my 9-year-old mind and intensified my interest in the complexities of human behavior. My mother and her partner Shelly raised me into
I was born into poverty to an immigrant mother. When I was 2, my mother’s drug addiction caused me to be placed into the Los Angeles County foster care system. I lived in seven different homes over the next five years. Some homes had more than 10 foster children living in them. The families were of many ethnic backgrounds; I was compelled to develop social skills to receive care from distracted foster parents. …show more content…
I enjoyed calling my new parents “mom” and “dad” and saying “I have a sister.” As a boy who hadn’t had a family, it made me happy to finally be a part of one.
Two years later, my parents revealed they were ending their marriage. This was crushing. I observed as my parents argued and noticed they often mentioned my adoption. I found a sanctuary to escape: the school library. There I read Encyclopedia Brown and other favorites. My adoptive mother was granted custody of me; consequently my adoptive father severed ties with me because he knew it would hurt my mother. I was heartbroken and curious why a dispute with my mother resulted in my father not speaking to me. I asked adult relatives and they’d skirt the question. There was one adult who was truthful.
She was a coworker of my mother’s named Shelly. She related that when adults are hurt, they can behave irresponsibly. I was grateful for her honesty and we became close. My mother soon entered a relationship with her. As a young boy, I was puzzled that my mother could now be in a relationship with Shelly. My mother explained that in our society young gay people are often socialized into believing they’re heterosexual and then, as adults, embrace their attraction to the same sex. This blew my 9-year-old mind and intensified my interest in the complexities of human behavior. My mother and her partner Shelly raised me into