“I just finished my first semester at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. I’m there on a soccer scholarship. I had a few other offers, but I didn’t want to go too far away from home. It’s just a four-hour drive to Natchitoches. “At the same … Continue readingShe’s enjoying college experience, away from home
“When I was in foster care I would think, ‘Why, God? Why did this happen to me? What have I done to deserve this?’ Then I started thinking that maybe I was placed in this situation so I could show how strong I really am. … Continue readingAdopted teenager: ‘I’m one of the lucky ones’
“The adoption process was 18 months long. We knew it would be challenging. But we had no idea how complicated and interrogating it would get. “We had home visits. We had interviews. We had background checks every three months. They made us do fingerprinting every … Continue readingAdoption process was emotional roller coaster
“When we were trying to find a judge who would preside at our wedding, we got declined a couple times. It was frustrating, but we kept looking. Finally, when we asked Judge Coffey in Baytown, he said, ‘Of course, I’ll be there. What day?’ I … Continue reading‘Best moment, best day, best feeling ever’
“We were straight up in love. We wanted to get married. There were no ifs, ands or buts. Since same-sex marriage wasn’t legal in Texas yet, we thought we were going to have to settle for a commitment ceremony. It’s kind of like a wedding. … Continue readingMarriage dream comes true for same-sex couple
“When I was 25, I decided that I was going to take a year’s vacation and do nothing but fish. I was young, and I figured that was the best time to do it. “I started off in Kentucky where my brother lived. He’s 10 … Continue readingFisherman enjoys once-in-a-lifetime expedition
“I was raised on a kind of farm area in California. When I was 6 years old, I had a Pomeranian named Fluffy. One day he was out roaming, and he got bitten by a snake. He started limping, so we took him to the … Continue readingFuture veterinarian hopes to make positive change
“I would like to help start a program, a housing thing, where people who were ready to get off the streets could come in and have like 10 to 14 days to get acclimated. They would have to act right to be there. And if … Continue readingHe’s seeking opportunities for people on the streets
“Where I grew up in Wisconsin, we used to have these little stores called Ben Franklin. One time, my mom had to go into town to pick up something, and I went with her. When we walked into the store, I saw this little, crappy … Continue readingSkateboarding just one of his outdoor activities
“School has always been sort of easy for me. I’m good at projects. Perfect for projects. But the one thing is, I’m not a really good test taker. For some reason, I’ve got like this phobia when it comes to tests. It’s like when there’s … Continue readingHe battles his way through test-taking phobia