My name is David, and I’m 27 years old and live in Dallas, Texas. I was born in Ulyanovsk, Russia and raised in an orphanage house since I was a baby until age of 14. In 2001, my three brothers, twin sister, and I were adopted by a Christian family in the United States from a small town called Atoka, Oklahoma. My adopted parents have a total of eighteen children; three of which are their own biological children and fifteen adopted. When I moved to the United States I spoke only rudimentary English. After attending private school for only a year, I quickly overcame the obstacles of learning a difficult language in a new country, and earned the opportunity to attend high school. From this, I realized how important and valuable higher education can be in my life, and how this education can open many doors in my future.
Between high school and my freshman year in college every summer I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to First Baptist Church for Adoption Summer Program. My responsibilities were to assist with language skills and communication between potential adoptive parents and their future children. The adoption agency with First Baptist church help brought the kids from Russia to the U.S. for two months to live in the potential parents’ home. The two-month period was used to determine if the family was prepared to adopt a child. My part was to stay with a family for a week and translate and teach the child basic English. I taught kids English and how to adjust to the new American culture. I also taught parents about the kids’ behavior, attitude, and the best way to adjust to their different needs. I had to learn English and American culture before I could assist them with my skills. The parent had goals they wanted it to achieve with their new child and I would show them the steps to accomplish them. Every time they learned a new step, they would gain satisfaction in the achievement.
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