Anna's Story

At 16 years old, Anna Dominguez is already a great success. As a waiting child, she had to endure circumstances that left her sad, afraid and distrustful of others. Today, however, Anna has overcome these challenges and developed into an inspiring role model - not just for foster or adoptive children, but for youth everywhere. In fact, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services recently honored Anna with its Hispanic Youth of the Year Award, presented to foster children of a Hispanic background who make an especially successful transition into adoptive family life. Here is Anna's story in her own words:

When my parents told me I was being nominated for Hispanic Youth of the Year, I felt honored and thought about what this means to my family, my teachers and my future. I work very hard to get the best grades. Nothing comes easy to me and it all requires hard work, even the little things in my life. I am a three-sport athlete (swimming, basketball and soccer) and we all know how hard it is to keep your grades up because of the time sports consume. I volunteer, do community service, mentor other kids like me and try to have some fun, too. I work very hard to achieve my goals. One of these goals is that, in my family, all the children have to work to maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher. I feel I wouldn't have accomplished anything if my mother and father hadn't adopted my older sister, Crystal, and me 12 years ago.

My birth mother left me alone with my sister when I was an infant. Crystal was only five years old. After a long time, the police found us alone in that apartment and that is when we started to move from foster house to foster house. I thought it was normal. My sister and I were in seven homes that I remember, and we trusted nobody. All the families we stayed with lived in places where it was not safe to go outside and play, and some didn't treat Crystal and me like we were part of the family. I felt like I just wished I wasn't born.

I remember having to share a single little bed with my sister. It was always cold and I always wondered if something bad was going to happen. I hated mice and rats, and there were plenty of them. I felt scared all the time. I wouldn't go to bed without my older sister because I was afraid. One family we were staying with made me sit in front of the television and watch a scary television show they knew I was afraid of.

My last foster mother, who was nice, told us that there was a very loving family that we were going to move in with. They really wanted to adopt us and give us a permanent home. I looked at my sister and saw the look of sadness in her. We'd heard that before. We settled in our new home - again. This time, though, it was in a nice neighborhood. As soon as they tucked us in, said good night and left the room, I hopped into my sister's bed and went to sleep. My mom and dad finally caught on to what I was doing. They told me there was nothing to be afraid of anymore and that I would be safe now. It took a long time for me to believe that.

Five years later, when I had gotten settled in and started feeling good about things, another two kids moved in who were beaten up in their family and hurt really bad. We adopted them because they too were going to be split up and sent to two different homes. Mom and dad try to keep siblings together. After we adopted them, I had to start that nervous feeling all over again, wondering what they would do and what this would mean to me. My grades in school showed it, and one of the kids who moved in destroyed stuff in my room, wrecked school projects I worked really hard on and stole my stuff. I was miserable and I thought my mom and dad were nuts.

Then, after things got settled down and I began to realize they were adjusting like I had to, mom and dad said try not to let it get to me; give it some time and they would begin to trust, too. Then after a couple of years of that finally settling down, mom got a call. Another family of three kids were removed from the same horrible, neglectful life. They were gonna get split up and yes, guess where they wound up again! I thought, "Mom, you have got to be joking!"

So here we are today, all seven of us adopted kids, and I keep wondering when my life will be "normal." More adjusting, more things getting busted up and working hard to stay on top is still a big piece of who I am trying to be.

Now that I am 16, it is finally beginning to sink in - what I am about, what my adopted sisters and brother mean to me. Don't get me wrong, there are days I could strangle them and wish I could disappear. But I also know how they feel, how I felt at one time. They see my sacrifices and I show them things the way my mom and dad taught me - the importance of getting showered, journaling/writing poems/drawing to get things off our chests, putting nice outfits together, keeping track of projects, realizing that getting braces is a good thing, being responsible and never giving up.

My mom and dad teach us that 10% of the people make 90% of everything worthwhile happen. I am often the only one to bring in projects ahead of time at school and the first one to volunteer, hold a door or give a seat up to an elderly person... I pass this on to my sisters and brother. I know that at times they think mom and dad are nuts, too. Mom always says it is OK to be crazy, as long as you're not dangerous. I understand more about that today. I also know that I would still be feeling cold, alone and afraid if I did not learn how to love, trust and work hard to be the best I can be. I am glad that dad and mom were crazy enough to take Crystal and me in 12 years ago.

There was a time that I believed I could not even get a C, let alone get on the honor roll. I am very grateful for my heritage, for the life that my dad and mom have made for me, for teaching me how to be proud of who I am and what I can do. And I know that one of my biggest jobs is to carry the message through my behavior that hard work, caring, patience and doing the right thing really does pay off - even if it doesn't seem like it at first. Maybe my mom and dad aren't that nuts after all.

This story was originally published January 30, 2004.