Adoptee Excellence Scholarship

Olivia is a Colombian adoptee and recent graduate of Vero Beach High School in Florida. During her time in high school, she was the principal violinist of the second violin section of her school’s orchestra, a member of the JV/Varsity Weightlifting Team, and a member of the Mock Trial Club. Like many transracial adoptees raised in communities that did not racially or culturally mirror their own, Olivia often felt disconnected from her Hispanic heritage. “This sense of difference was compounded by the lack of representation and cultural awareness around me,” she writes. “It wasn’t just a feeling of being different—it was the awareness that my background wasn’t reflected in the world around me.” In spite of these challenges, she took it upon herself to learn Spanish and discover more about Colombian history, traditions, and music. 

Growing up, Olivia struggled with challenges associated with having a submucous cleft palate. This condition, which affects the development of the palette and is common in many parts of the world, is linked to genetic factors, especially among those with an indigenous heritage. Speaking clearly was difficult for her and she often felt “self-conscious” about her voice. Things began to change when she joined 4-H where she found a supportive community that encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone and compete as a public speaker. Starting with small speeches, Olivia gained confidence over time and turned her perceived weakness into one of her strengths. “What once made me feel insecure,” she writes, “has now become one of my greatest sources of pride.” Olivia has since become President of the Student Government Association, co-President of Model U.N., and a 4-H leader, all positions where the skill of public speaking is essential. 

In 2023, she was a participant in the Florida Senate Page Program which allowed her to work behind the scenes at the Florida State Senate, and fueled her interest in public service. As a Page, she helped deliver messages, assist senators, and manage the legislative process. She notes that witnessing debates specifically about immigration policy—as well as how they were debated—felt “personally relevant” and contributed to her understanding of the human stakes involved. “It was clear that these policies directly impact real people in life-changing ways [and] solidified my belief that effective advocacy requires understanding the process and the people involved, ensuring that communities—particularly immigrant communities—are represented in these important debates.”

Olivia is currently studying Political Science at the University of Chicago and with a focus on international affairs and public policy. Inspired by her experience at the Florida State Senate, adoptee identity, and passion for social justice, her ultimate goal is to become an immigration attorney. “As an adoptee from a Hispanic background, I have witnessed the challenges faced by immigrant communities [and] have seen firsthand how policy can either support or hinder these individuals . . . These experiences inspired me to pursue a career where I could make a tangible difference in the lives of immigrants and marginalized groups.”

Photo courtesy of Olivia Diaz.

Anderson Acord (he/him) is a Chinese adoptee and graduate of DeBakey High School for Health Professions. After spending a significant part of his early life in foster care in Zibo, China, Anderson was adopted at the age of ten. His adoption happened abruptly, which forced him to adjust quickly to his new mother, culture, and language, while still grieving the loss of his foster family. Despite the stress of the three-week adoption process, his new mother’s support and understanding provided him comfort. He credits the interactions with his new mother for teaching him “to provide compassionate love to the most vulnerable youths in orphanages.” 

Born with radial aplasia, a congenital limb difference that affected the growth of his left arm, Anderson often felt “inadequate” because he had trouble performing tasks like tying a shoelace and shooting a basketball—actions that most people take for granted. However, he confronted his challenges bravely by attending basketball camp. Despite being initially overlooked by his fellow campers, Anderson gradually learned to adjust his technique; for example, he realized he had to “shift [his] shoulder to the left significantly to better align the ball toward the hoop” to make three-pointers. With practice, determination, and grit, Anderson eventually became a key player for his basketball team; he also went on to complete a 100 mile trek at Philmont Scout Ranch and run a half marathon. He even created an Instagram account (@adaptable_acord) demonstrating how he adapts traditional workout exercises.

During his time in high school, where he graduated in the top 10% of his class, he was an active member of many clubs such as Basketball, Debate (Co-Captain), HOSA, Chinese (Treasurer), and Running while holding various leadership positions in his local Boy Scouts troop. Motivated by his time in foster care, Anderson dedicated his Eagle Scout project to helping local foster youth in his hometown of Houston, Texas. In October 2021, urged by the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, he assembled and delivered fifty backpacks filled with various provisions for personal hygiene, school supplies, and day-to-day essentials to foster teenagers at DePelchin Children’s Center. He reflects, “I want to provide the same loving support I had [in foster care] for Houston’s foster children, specifically teenagers who are often forgotten by society and traversing through the toughest transitions of life with minimal guidance.”

Anderson currently attends the University of Houston and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical and Biophysical Sciences, and plans to enroll at the Baylor College of Medicine after completing his undergraduate degree. Anderson’s acceptance into an early-entry BS/MD program brings him one step closer to becoming a cross-national limb difference specialist. While in college, he intends to continue volunteering with DePelchin, and plans to join the Chinese Student Association to share and learn more about his Chinese heritage and the American Medical Association to connect with his fellow pre-medical students. He also hopes to return to China through study abroad to volunteer in a special needs orphanage or hospital to gain medical experience and provide care for Chinese youth who share similar beginnings. The combination of his personal experiences, academic credentials, commitment to service, and Mandarin language skills make him uniquely qualified to work with and make a difference in the lives of foster children and children with limb differences in China and elsewhere.

Photo credit: Suzanne Acord

Mya Bogers (she/her) is a Guatemalan adoptee and a recent graduate of Wheeling Park High School who plans to enroll at Stetson University to study clinical psychology and Spanish. Growing up in rural West Virginia, Mya often felt alone as one of the few non-white individuals and international adoptees in her school. She recalls being the target of racism and microaggressions from her peers which only exacerbated these feelings. 

Mya returned to Guatemala when she was 13 years old; this trip not only changed the way she viewed herself as a Guatemalan American, but also as an international adoptee. During her trip, she volunteered with a nonprofit to help impoverished families and learned about the social issues affecting the country. She returned to the United States with the intention of continuing to aid those back in Guatemala, which she accomplished through subsequent trips and through her local community, having been empowered to use her adoptee identity and Guatemalan culture as a bridge between herself and her peers. 

As the twice-elected president of her high school’s Foreign Languages Uniting Entire Nations Together (FLUENT) Club, she and her fellow students advocated for the continuance of her school’s Advanced Placement Spanish and Advanced Placement French language programs when they were at risk of being cut. She also fundraised for The Backyard School in San Bartolome Milpas Altas while sharing the beauty and richness of Guatemala and Guatemalan culture with others—she even spoke about her experience as an adoptee to her classmates and teachers. She reflects, “I also wanted to raise awareness for the plight of so many teens in my birth country . . . I thought this was the perfect way to perhaps stop some of the slights I had faced in my hallways.” 

In addition to being a community organizer and an academically accomplished student, Mya aspires to become a therapist specializing in adoption trauma. As a therapist, she also hopes to “advocate nationally for better access to mental health services and remove barriers to needed care.” To achieve this goal, Mya enrolled in her high school’s psychology course and the Introduction to Psychology course at her local community college, earning an ‘A’ in both. She has also dedicated the last five years to learning Spanish so she can serve both English and Spanish-speaking groups. In fact, her choice of university was made, in part, because of its large Hispanic population, which she strongly believes will facilitate her own personal growth and will act as “more than a classroom.” She writes, “I didn’t get to choose where I was born or even to where I [was] adopted, but I get to choose now, and I choose to go to Stetson.” 

Photograph © Jacquelyn Cynkar 

Jin Oakes (he/him) exemplifies an outstanding sense of resilience combined with a profound and humbling empathy. He was adopted from China and raised in a small, predominantly white town in New Hampshire, and is currently an undergraduate student in Massachusetts working towards a Bachelor of Arts in History and Asian Studies. He hopes to earn a PhD in a related field after graduation with the ultimate goal of establishing a permanent museum at the Smithsonian dedicated to Asian and Pacific Islander American history since one of his passions is getting “the stories of Asian, Pacific Island, and Hawaiian Americans out there.” He is also a skilled photographer, musician, and scrapbooker.

In 2018, Jin found a community of other adoptees through the online group Subtle Asian Adoptee Traits. As one of the group’s earliest administrators, Jin helped establish a welcoming and warm online space for Asian adoptees all over the world and, at the same time, learned from others, shared his story, and made new friendships. This experience taught him the importance of community, dialogue, and how to connect with others whose lives and experiences differed from his. It also demonstrated his long-term commitment to other adoptees and the importance of having a space like Subtle Asian Adoptee Traits for those who may not have a community of their own.

Apart from his academic achievements (including graduating as his high school’s valedictorian), professional goals, and community involvement, Jin’s determination to assert who he is on his own terms is nothing less than a portrait of strength. As international adoptees, we know that identity is complex and more times than not, requires the audacity to take up and make space for ourselves and others. For Jin, his transgender/LGBTQ+ identity is just as much a part of him as are his adoptee and Asian identities. It wasn’t until late 2021 when he decided to fully and proudly embrace who he is, despite being unaccepted by those closest to him. With the support of his friends and his partner, he continued to persevere and embrace his true self: Asian, adoptee, and transgender. He reflects that “the support in real life and online made me realize I didn’t need to be afraid. I could just be me—and that was enough.”

Allemu Slattery exemplifies an outstanding sense of self-initiative and resilience, combined with a profound and humbling empathy. A recent high school graduate from Minnesota, Allemu and his sister were adopted from Ethiopia when he was seven years old. Faced with the difficulties of language and cultural immersion at a young age, over time he transformed personal learning challenges into strengths, only to excel academically by the end of his high school career. Graduating in the top 5% of his class, he also tutored math and literacy at his school, volunteered as a little league baseball and middle school basketball coach, and earned specialized state certification as a soccer referee. Within the greater community, Allemu continued to give back. He founded a food distribution project called “Oodles of Noodles” that disperses surplus goods to food shelters and raised money to honor fallen veterans on Memorial Day at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. He went from apprentice to employee at a non-profit bike shop that provides teens with exposure to small-business ownership and specialized skills in repairing bikes. Of all these, Allemu’s proudest accomplishment so far has been for his birthplace: he created a successful GoFundMe campaign for Roots Ethiopia, a non-profit that builds schools, provides educational materials and Covid-19 supplies to impoverished areas of Ethiopia. Through his generosity, this adoptee has been able to serve many communities on different scales. He will continue this work by attending the University of Minnesota to pursue Architectural Design and create energy efficient affordable housing in urban areas. One day, he hopes to become the principal architect at his own design firm.

Fikirte Hunt was born in Ethiopia and adopted when she was two years old. Raised in a multicultural family in New York City, Fikirte is a global citizen and advocate. Through various leadership positions, she has made a positive impact in her community with her work in Model United Nations, Black Student Union, and student government, along with non-profit youth organizations Girls Write Now, All Together Now, and LitWorld. Ms. Hunt is also keenly aware of the importance of community for young people: she volunteers her time to mentor young adoptees through playgroups and camps; as a writing teacher and mentor, she also helps young people find their voice and share their stories through writing and by creating short films.

Fikirte has exemplified a dedication to personal development and empathy for others and has sought out ways to let people know they are not alone in their experiences. After overcoming major challenges in her own life, Ms. Hunt set out to help others by spreading mental health awareness through her own social media campaign. One of her teachers writes, “Her perseverance and strength is quite admirable; I’ve never encountered a student like Fiki who fights through hardships with such love and positivity.” Fikirte aspires to become a psychologist for international adoptees and their families one day; she will be attending Bates College and majoring in clinical psychology in the fall.  

Outside of these achievements, Fikirte is a National Honor Society member, writer, filmmaker, pianist, fencer, and award-winning chess player. She ranked 11th in the nation for girls’ youth chess, and has even represented the United States in World Youth Chess competitions overseas. Also-Known-As is ecstatic to showcase and celebrate this incredible individual. Congratulations, Fikirte! We applaud the example you set for adoptees across America and wish you the best in your bright future ahead.

Darci Siegel is a rising senior at Vassar College, Darci was adopted from China when she was 11 months old. Acutely aware of how her own story is grounded in gender-based policies, she has held actor, activist, teacher, writer, and community organizer roles for various causes she feels passionate about, including creating inclusive safe spaces for women and people of color on her college campus, and fighting injustices against women and children on various city, state, national and international platforms. This summer Darci will be visiting China with her orphanage “sisters” and documenting her experiences. She will also be writing her senior thesis on transnational adoption, focusing on transracial and transcultural identity, and exploring the cultural, political and social identity of female Asian adoptees in the United States.